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Singing
FOR
DUMMIES:
2ND EDITION
by Pamelia S. Phillips, DMA
WILEY
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Singing For Dummies® 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010937161
ISBN: 978-0-470-64020-3
Manufactured in the United States of America
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WILEY
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About the Author
Dr. Pamelia S. Phillips is the Professional Program Director and Chair of
Voice and Music at CAP21 (Collaborative Arts Project 21). Dr. Phillips earned
her Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Vocal Performance from
Arizona State University and her Bachelor of Music Education from Arkansas
State University. Her performances range from contemporary American
Opera premieres to guest performances with major symphonies.
Dr. Phillips has also taught at Wagner College, Arizona State University,
Scottsdale Community College, and South Mountain Community College.
Performances include title roles in Carmen, Tragedy of Carmen, Dido and
Aeneas, and Lizzie Borden; the Witch in Hansel and Gretel; Giulietta in Tales
of Hoffmann; Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte; Mum in Albert Herring; Constance in
the world premiere of She Stoops to Conquer; Lady with a Hat Box in Postcard
from Morocco; Frau Bauer in Dora; Beatrice in the stage premiere of Garden of
Mystery; Mrs. Cornett in Tobermory; staged performance of From The Diary of
Virginia Woolf, Gloria Thorpe in Damn Yankees; Gymnasia in A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum; Liebeslieder singer in A Little Night Music;
and Lady Thiang in King and I. Symphonic performances include Berlioz’s
Le mort de Cléop4Gtra with the Bronx Symphony, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony
with the Centré Symphony, and Das Lied von der Erde and Mahler’s Third
Symphony with the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble. Dr. Phillips has also
been a guest artist with the Phoenix Chamber Symphony, the Scottsdale Fine
Arts Orchestra, the Putnam County Chorale, and the National Chorale.
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Dedication
In memory of my sister, Debbie Griggs (d. 2003).
Author’s Acknowledgments
I gratefully acknowledge Project Editor Sarah Faulkner for her amazing
attention to detail and endless supply of encouragement, Acquisitions Editor
Michael Lewis for the invitation to write a second edition, Technical Editor
David Kelso for sharing his wealth of knowledge, and Copy Editor Krista
Hansing for always looking out for the reader. I was so fortunate to work with
this amazing team.
Thank you to my parents, Holmes and Darlene, for all the lessons you paid
for, the hours you had to listen to me practice, and the many miles you drove
to attend my concerts.
Thank you to George, for your encouragement and for tolerating all the late
nights and weekends I spent writing.
Eternal thanks to my students (and a few colleagues) who sang so beautifully
on the CD and to my students and colleagues who offered advice and support.
You inspire me.
Special thanks to my voice teachers, Julia Lansford, Jerry Doan, Norma
Newton, and Judith Natalucci.
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http: //dummies.custhelp.com. For
other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,
outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services
Media Development Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery
Project Editor: Sarah Faulkner Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers,
(Previous Edition: Jennifer Connolly) Joyce Haughey, Mark Pinto
Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis Proofreader: Bonnie Mikkelson
Copy Editor: Krista Hansing Indexer: Sharon Shock
(Previous Edition: Esmeralda St. Clair)
Assistant Editor: David Lutton
Technical Editor: David Kelso
Media Development Associate Producer:
Shawn Patrick
Media Development Assistant Project Manager:
Jenny Swisher
Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck
Editorial Assistants: Jennette ElNaggar,
Rachelle S. Amick
Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South
Cover Photos: © iStockphoto.com/
Chris Hutchison
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www. the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
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Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ...cccccccccccccccccccccccccccecccccccccccecececcccccccccccceece I
Part 1: Exploring Singing Basics....ccccccccsscccsscccscccceccsceee 1
Chapter 1: Preparing to Sing ....... cee ecesescescesceeceeseeseeseeseseececeeseeaeceeeseeseeeeceseesesseeaeeeeaees 9
Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice TyPe...........::.:ccssceseeesseeseesececeeeeeeeseeaecseeeenseeeeeaees 17
Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing .............ceceseeseeceeseeseeseeseeseeeeeeeeenees 27
Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing... eeeceecceseeseeseeeseeeceseeseesecaeceeeeeseeaecseeseeeseneeenees 39
Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice ........cccccccssessessseseeseeseesseeeceseeseesecaeceeeeeeaeeaesseeaeeeseeeeeaees 57
Part Il: Improving Vour Singing aaeeea 1D
Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful TOne.........ssesssssseesessssrsssrsessrsrsesessrseseesrseseesesessesessrsese 73
Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance...........seessssseessseseesrssesesessrseserstsesessrseseesrsesresesessesesersese 83
Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity..........seseesssessesssesressersrsesersrsesresrsessesessrsrses 93
Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation .............ccccccesseseeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeneeees 103
Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine 00.0... ee eceesceseceeceeeeseeceeseeseeseeeeeeseeeeeseeneeaes 115
Part I]: Advanced Techniques to
Improve Vour Voice sescca 127
Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice .....ssssesssssssesesessessssssesersee 129
Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range ......s.sssssssessesessesessssesersee 153
Chapter 13: It’s a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song .......ss.ssssssssssnesoesoesosresreseesresoesossesseese 165
Chapter 14: Training for Singing .......e.ssssesssssesssssseesrsrrsesersrresersrstsersrsestrsrsestnsesesseseeererst 187
Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher .......ssssssssssesesesrssssesrssersrsesersrssseserersrse 199
Part W: Preparing to Perform .icccscccccccccccccccccssecccseece 209
Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material ..............cccccccsccsssceseesseessesseeeseeeseeeeeeneenes 211
Chapter 17: Mastering a New SOng .........ccessesscessceseeeseceseeesecssscsseesseeseessesesseeeseseesseengs 221
Chapter 18: Acting the SOMg ........cccccecccsscsssesseesscsseeeseceseeesecesscesecsseeeeecsesseeseeeeseeeneeens 239
Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing................:cccceseseseeeeeeeeseeseeneeees 249
Chapter 20: Auditioning a SOmg.........ccecceceseeseeseeseeseesceseceeeeseeseesecsecseeeeeeeeeseeseeaeeaeenes 259
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Part V: The Part of Tens .....cccccccccccsccccsccccccccccccccceceeee 207
Chapter 21: Ten Performers with Good Technique ............cccccescesesceeseeeeeeeteeseeaeenes 279
Chapter 22: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Singing.............. cesses 283
Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Maintaining Vocal Health ..00...... ccc ceeeeeeeeseeeeeeeteeseeeeees 289
Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro ..0......ccececeseesseseeseeeeeeseeseeseeseeeeaeeaes 297
Part VI: Appendixes assecc BOF
Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique...................0+ 307
Appendix B: About the CD... ccceceeccssssssesssseeseeseeeeeesecaeeaeceecaeceeeeseeaeeaeceecueeesenesaesaeeas 317
VAMC OOO. O VO Y A
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Table of Contents
Íntroduction ...cccccccccccccccccccccccececcccccccccccceccccecccccccccccececee I
About This BOOK secetos eener n a n e Mes 1
Conventions Used in This Book..........ccccccesessesceeseeseeseeseeseeeeeseeseesesaeeaeeneenees 2
What You're Not to Read oo... cece eecescsscessecseeeeseeeeeeseecseeseeeeseceseeeaeeeaeenseenaeeaees 3
Foolish ASSUMPUtiONS -sssini Neg enis 3
How This Book Is Organized ............cccccescesesseeseeeeceeeeseeseeseeseceeceeceseeseeseeaeeatenes 3
Part I: Exploring Singing Basics..........c.sceccesssseeseeseeseceeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 4
Part II: Improving Your Singing 00.0... eececeeseeseeeeeeceeeeceeseeeeeseeaeeeseees 4
Part III: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice...............:65 4
Part IV: Preparing to PerfOrm............cceceescesseseeeeseeseceeeeeeeeeesesseeeeaseaes 5
Part V: The Part Of Tems.............ccscsssguateMeeesssssessceecsecsssesssscesecsensessees 5
Part VI: Appendixes .......:..:cccccccceces Mee Mecetsncessastcencencsnaezccstecacesnsecsasenss 5
Icons Used in This BOOK ..0.... cece ceseescesseeseeceeeeseeeseeeneeeseeeseeeaeeeaeseaeeeaseneeeeeeee 6
Where to Go from Here.......c..cc.cs ita Re ceesesessacescssccsssscesacecsensanccenessesesencessents 6
Part Í: Exploring Singing Basics ausse I
Chapter 1: Preparing to Sing .............. 00s cece eee e eee eee 9
What You Want to Know Right from the Beginning..............cceeeseeeseeee 9
Determining your VOICE tYPe....... eee eeseeeteeseeeseeeseeeneceseeeaeeeaeeeeeeeeenes 10
Locating the notes on the Staff... cee esceeseeseeeneceeceaeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 10
Considering posture, breath, and tone ..........ceeceseeseeseeseeseeeseeeeenees 12
Developing Your Singing VOICE ............eccsesceeseeseeseeeeseceeeeeeseeseeaeeseeseeneeenes 12
Working the Different Parts of Your VOICE... eeeesceeseceneceneeeneeeeeeneeeees 13
Applying Your Technique..........sssesesrsssseresseessessesrecsecreoestesoereessrrssseesssstesssstee 14
MARLINS, FUT oee E E A 15
Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice Type.....................000- 17
Sifting through the Ingredients to Determine Your Voice Type.............. 17
Identifying the Fab Four... eee eeecceseesseeeseeeneeeseeeseeeaeeeeeeeeeceeeseeeeeeseeeeaees 19
Highest range of the dames: Soprano ...........cceceeseeceeseeteeseeeeeeeeeeeeeees 21
How low can she go: M€ZZ0........cessescsesseseeeseeeeeesseeeaeeeaeeeaeeeaeeeneeeeaes 22
Highest range of the dudes: Tenor ..........eeeeeeesseeseeeneeeeeeeeceeeenneeees 24
He’s:S0 low? Bas aaneren ir E ETRE E 25
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x Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing.................. 27
Evaluating Your POStUrG.. cisis:cccsesaceciessieteesssanceiscessedsxevzesionaens Saeasecdaenseseaeesens 27
Creating Correct POStUre........ cc ceceecceseeseesceeeceseeseeseesecseseeeeeseceesaeeaeeeeeseeaees 29
Feeling grounded on your feet .00..... ec ceceeeeesceeeeeeseceeeceaeeeaeeeeeceneeeeees 29
Engaging your WES). 2: vcccec.ceisecssecssedssssvstesvecneoss siknos Triar Easiness sts 31
Releasing your Hips ...sse.sereresesrerseerseressrierecsssereserresesereresserorssenrenes ir f 32
Lengthening your spine ........ssseesssssssssssereresssessressresresseessrersrersressressrts 33
Balancing your head and shoulderS..............cccccsssccesteeesteesseeesseesnes 33
Releasing Tensión. nsr n aet en 34
Letting go of tension in your upper DOAY..............:cccccesseesteeesteeeenes 34
Opening space in the head .......... ccc ceceesssessesseeseeesceeecsssessseeseeseeesseenes 35
Walking with Case ......0:..c.ccccccsccseecesccecscsececssssconssnsg ome enorer iinr 36
Projecting confidence through POStuLe.........eeeceeeeseeesseeeeeeeeneeeeee 37
Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing.....................cce cece eeee 39
Breathing Basicsiiscsicccessccdesiectiscieets cotseigscgme Ma ttents KE NERES 39
haling tO SiN.........cscsesecessecesseseceses Mah iser iene ae arr Enr s 40
Exhaling to SNg rarose Mag eiei ia esa e as ees 40
Posturing yourself for breathing... eee eeessceseceneceneeeeeeeeeeneeeees 42
Practicing Inhalation... De ioecessssseseccsscesssesecesssescesrrsssnsesssseesecseenss 42
Opening your DOY...... ccc ceccsccsscesscescesseeseeeseeeseesseseseceseesseeeseceneeeeeees 43
Breathing, slow and Steady .........c.ccccsccsssccessseeeseeesseeesseeesseeesseeessneessnes 47
Catching a quick breath... ce cescssessseessesssesssessecsseessessneessessseeees 48
Practicing Exhalation .............ccccccscccsssesssseeeseecsseecsseeesseeesseeessseeeeeessseeeeseeeees 49
Blowing in the Wind ...........cccccceessessscesccsseesceeseeeseeesecesecesecsseessecseesaeeees 50
Trilling for exhalation..........ccccceccceceseeseeseeeeecseeeeeeseeseesecseeeeeeeeeeeesees 50
Recognizing resistance and suspending the breath........... ee 52
Testing Your Breath Control ............ccccssssesceeceeeeeseeseeseceeeeeeeseeseeseeeeneeneeeaes 53
Releasing abs and then ribs............ccecescsscesseeeceeeeeeeseeseeseceeeeeeeeeeenees 54
SINGING SLOWLY. eae e T N RE 55
Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice.................. anaana 57
DSH TN annannati a R RA 57
Creating unique tone ........s.essssssesesesrsrsrrsrstsresrsesrrsrsesnsrsssresesesreseesesentee 57
Identifying factors that affect tone .........ssesssesesrssssessssssesersrsrssesessseee 58
Considering tone, pitches, and noteS............cceceeseeceeseeeeeseeseeeeeeeeesees 59
Flexing Your Singing Muscles ...........c.ccscssccsseesecessceseceeeeseessecseeesseeseeeseessees 59
Discovering your OWN bandS...........esessessessssssessessessessssesserssessessesseso 60
Making the first sound..........seeeeeesssessssssseresesssessessresresseesssenseersresssessees 60
Dropping the jåäWpa necis rriaire rrise raar eae eia 61
Putting your larynx into position.........seeseessessseseseseesseessrerssersresssessees 62
Matching Pith sissioni ii asi E A R R E 64
Sliding up and down on pitCh........ssesssessseeeesrssseesrsessesessssesesersrssesessseee 65
Developing muscle Memory .......s.essessssessseresrsssssesstsresresresrreresrsseserssrse 66
Recording yourself and singing along ...........sssseeseeseeseeseessereerssrseresre 67
Releasing Tension for Better TOne..........eseseeseessssessssesresrreresrrsrrsessresresersrses 68
Checking for neck or jaw tensiON.............::csccecceseeseeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 68
Bouncing the tongue and jaw... cecesesccssceeseeeseeeeeceaeeeaeeeseeeeeenneeees 69
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Table of Contents xi
Part I]: Improving Vour Singing. 71
Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful Tone .......................0000- 73
Creating TONG. ceesre eana i aE S E E HA ees 73
Starting the COMe sses asirese eissernir EEE E e sia 74
Creating back Space ....eseeseesessersessessossossesseseereesovssrsonsevsersersessces e Jipe. 74
Coordinating air with tone..........ssssesesseseseeeesesereesessresessssesesssrseseseseee 75
Sighing your way to Clavity.........cceeeceeseeseeseeeeceeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeteeseesees 76
Releasing TOG nnisancinnciacrana ii i E Aaa 77
Inhaling to release tone... eeeescenecsseeeeeeseeeseeeseeeneceaectaeesaeseneeneees 77
Letting your throat 90.0.0... cee ceseessceeecseeseeescesseeeseeeeeeeaeceaeeeaeeeneeeeaes 77
Sustaining TONE ...........csccsssscssscesesscsssesscsecssessssescsessessagay Aa 78
Connecting the dots with legato... cccscecceceseeceeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeesees 78
Trilling the lips or tongue ....... eee eeeeeseeeeeeneeeseeeseeeaeceaeeeaeeeaeeneeeneeeees 78
Working your breath control .0..........cccccceccessscessseceeeeeeseeesseeesseeesseeees 79
Finding Your Vibrato... eee eesceseesceseeeseecseeeseeeaeceseeeseeeaeeecesseecseeeneeeeeeaees 80
Moving from straight tone to ViDrato...... eee eeeeceneeeteeeeeeeeeeneeeees 80
Imitating another singer’s vibrato ole eeeeseeeneceeeeaeeeneeeeeeeeees 81
Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance.................00e0eeeeeeeeaee 83
Good Vibratii SasciaNS erasi are iaaea eae ianei eieaa aaa i 83
Exploring your resonators ........e.sssesessesrseeeesesessestseseesrssresessseseeseseseee 85
Ringing it outes W erriren eate oirne sanae Ene ENE EE EE aas s 86
Eliminating Nasality E mm...esseeeeereeseesosseerresrecoesssocrorsoenenessecesprsossrsseiepsrseerrsroe 87
Getting the feel for soft palate WOrK.........ssssssessssssssessssssssrssressesessseee 87
Coordinating your soft palate and tongue..........ssssesssssssssseresssesrsssee 88
Moving air through the Nno0Se€ ......ssessesseseesseesrsssssessesressssseerserssrssessresese 89
Debunking Common Misconceptions .............:ccccsscsssesseeeeeceeseeseeeeeeeeneeeeees 90
Misconception: Tone resonates in your SİNuses .............eseeeeeeeeeeee 90
Misconception: You have to place every
tone in the same location... ee eeceeneeseeseeeseceeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeaeees 90
Misconception: You’re supposed to
keep your tongue completely flat ..............cccssseesssessneeeeseeseseessneees 91
Misconception: You need to open your
mouth as wide as POSSIDIE.............escceesseeescecssceeesneesseecesseessseessaeees 91
Misconception: The more forward the sound, the better.............. 92
Misconception: You have to smile to stay on pitch... 92
Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity ...................... 93
Getting Your Backside into Shape — Back Vowels, That Is................006 94
Exploring the shape of back vowels ...........cccescessceeseceseeeeeeeseeeeeenneeees 94
Lipping around your back vowels ...........cceecceeceeseeesececeeeeeeeeeneeneeeees 96
Singing the back vowels ............:ccsccesceeeseeseeseeeeceeeeceeseeseeaeseeseeeseeeeeaees 97
Mastering the Front Vowels ............c:cccssccessccsseeeeeeeeeesseeeseeceeecsseeessaeessaes 97
Exploring the shape of front VOWelS............cceeceeseeeeeceteeeneeeneeeeeeeeeees 98
Speaking the front VOWelS..........::ccsccesccessesssessseseeessceseceseesseceseeseeeseeeaes 99
Singing the front VOWeIS............ccccscesccessesseessseseeesecesecsseesseceseesseeaees 100
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xii Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation............... 103
Saying Voiced and Unvoiced Consonants ...........c::ccscessscsseceseeseesseeseesseees 104
Making Tip Consonant ............c:ccscsscesseecceseeseeseeseceeeeeeeseeseeaeceeeseeeseeeeeaeeaeens 105
Shaping tip CONSONANES 00... ceeesceeesesseeseeeeceeeeceeseesecseeeeeeeeeeeseeaeens 105
Singing tip Consonants ...........ececeeseeseeseeeeeeeeceeeeeeeseesecseceeeeeeeeeseeaeens 107
Making Soft Palate CONSONANES.............cccescescesseeseeeceeeeseeseeseceeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 108
Shaping soft palate consonants ...........cceesessseseesseeseceseestsesseesseeeees 108
Singing soft palate consonants ..........ceseeseesseseeeseeeseesseesteeeseceesesess 109
Working Lip Consonants .........ccccccessessscessesseesscesseeseceseessecesecessessesessenseeaees 109
Shaping lip consonants ..........ceeeeeseeseeeseeecceseceseceseeeseceseesseessecseeenees 110
Singing lip consonants ...........cceseesseeseesseeseeeseceseessecesecsseessseessenseeeees 111
Working Combination Consonants ...........c:cccscessssssesseesseeeceeeeeesseesseeseees 112
Shaping combination consonants ............cccesceseeesseeteeseeeseeseeeeeeesees 112
Singing combination CONSONANKS............cccecceseeseeseeseceeeeeeeseeeeeseeseens 113
Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine......................0.. 115
Knuckling Down to a Practice Plan ..........cccccseeeeseeseeseeeeseceeeeeeeseeeeeaeeaeens 115
Getting Answers to Your Practicing Questions ............cccccesseeseeseeeneeees 116
Where should I practice? ........ ec eecesceececseeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeaeeeseeeeeeeneeeaes 116
What’s the best time to practice? ........ ccc cecsceeesseeeseeceseeesseeeesneessnees 117
How long should I practice? 0... ee eeeseeeeseeeeeeeeceaeeeaeeeneeeeeeeneesas 117
What do I need besides My VOICE? ...........eesceeesseeeseeeeseeesseeeesteesenees 118
Warming Upiiisiccniqi ae GAs iini erea a eaei oeiras 119
Stretching to warm up your DOAY...........cceecceeseeseeseeeteeessesseeseeeeees 119
Warming up YOUL VOICE ........ ce ceeecesseessceeesseessseeceseeeseeceseeessaeessnsesenees 121
Exercising YOUr VOICE .........c:ccccscceessecssseceseecesceessneessceecsseeesseecsseeesseeessnsessnees 122
Picking exercises that work fOr YOU ...........::cccecccesssesssseessseeeseeesseeess 122
Breaking it COWN ....... ce ceceesesssecseeeseceseeeceeseeeseeeseeeaeceaeceaeseaeeeeeeeneesa® 123
Practicing: Correctly cou. ccicvcssctccciegsveckessaccd EEEE EAE E EE ATEENA 124
Recording yourself..........esseseseseeserorsesesveseseserseseevesesreseseseseeseseserseressese 125
Applying information and exercises..........ccecseceeseeseeeseeeseeeeeeeneeenes 125
Using the CD to practice Exercises ..........ccecceeeceesceseeeeeeseeseeeeeeeseens 126
Part Il]: Advanced Techniques to Improve Vour Voice.....127
Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice.......... 129
Finding Your Middle Voice... eee eeeeseeseeeneeeseeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeneeseeeenneeaeens 130
Noting your middle voice range.......... ee eeeeseeseeeseeeneeeeeeneeteeeeneesees 130
Singing in middle VOICE 0.0... ee eeeseeseeseeeeeeeceeeeeeeseesecseeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 131
Checking Out Your Chest Voice ..........ccccseesssssscsseeeseessceseesseesseeeeeeaeeeseenss 134
Zeroing in on your Chest VOICE range........eeceeeceecceseeseeeseeeneeeeeeeaes 134
Feeling your chest VOICE ...........ccccscesscsssesseeseceseceseceeceseeeecsssesseeaees 135
Aiming High with Head Voice... ce cescescesceseeeseeeseeeeeeaeceaeeeaeeeaeeneeeeees 136
Finding your head voice range... eeeeceesceseeeseeeeceseeeaeeeneeeeeeeees 137
Feeling head VOİCE- is. c.scsceccscasics tenie aE NEN Eiee reee ERs 138
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Table of Contents xiii
Let’s Hear It for the Boys: Figuring Out Falsetto ............ccccesesseesreeseeees 139
Discovering your falSettO.............cccccesscessseceseeeeseeeeseeesseessneessseeesseeess 140
Experiencing your falsetto..........cccescesssccesseceseeesseeesseessneessseeesseeess 141
Making a Smooth Transition 0.0.0.0... ccccesescessesceeceeseeseeseeeeeeeeeeeseeseeeeaeenes 144
Maneuvering in and out of chest VOICE... eeeeeceteeeneceneeeeeeneees 144
Transitioning in and out of head VOICE 1... eeeeceeseeeseeesseeesseeees 146
Mixing It Up cis: iseen a aE eaaa ES E ER aE Ea ETEEN RRE gms 148
Make the most of your mix, MAN .....sesessesesssesessessssessesrresessessrsessress 148
Get into the mix, Gals... cesecsseeseesceeseeeseceeecesecssecesecsseeseeenseesees 149
Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range ......... 153
Tactics for Tackling Register Transitions .........sseesseseesseseseessreereeerrereerese 154
Working On Your Range ..........:ccscescsesssseeseeseeseeseceeeeeneeeeeeaeeaeeaeceeeeeeeaeeneesees 155
Taking your range higher..........ssssssesesesrsseesrsesrrsrssresrssensrsssesersesese 155
Varying the dynamics.........sesssssssesesssesrseesssrssesssrresessrsesssrrsrsersrsesersts 156
Moving between registerS..........cccceccescssseseeseceeeeseeseeseceeeeeceseeeeeseeseens 157
Taking Your Agility to New Levels ...........cccccccesscsseesseeseeeeesseceeeeseeeseeeseeees 158
Moving along the SCale............cccccscescesssesscesseeseeesecesecsseesseceseesseenees 158
Picking Up the pace „sesser a Morne sseesvessscosesosssenssvnssvnessecesvessneennees 159
Skipping through the intervals ..........cccceeceesceseeseeteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeseees 160
Improvising for a Better Pop SOUNG.........eeeeceeseeseeseeeeeeeeceeeeeeeseeseeeeaeens 161
Mastering patterns in POP MUSIC.............cssceessseesteeseneeesnseesteeeseeess 162
Singing pop riffs with chords «0.00.0... cceseseesceseeceeseeseceeeeeeeeeeeeeseeaeens 162
Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song.................. 165
Playing around With Pitch oe eeeeeeceneeeneeeneeeeeeeeeceeceeeeeeeeeeeereeaeees 166
Talking tO yOursel ...........ccsccssssccssssssssssssrsecesecsonssvscsrsessstssoseaneerseonens 167
Chanting and speaking ............cccecceseesesseeseceeceeeeseeseeeeceeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 167
Finding your optimum speaking Pitch ...... eee eeseeseeeneeeeeeeneeeeee 168
Increasing your speaking range ......... ee eeeeeseceseeeneceneeeseeeneeeeeeeneeseee 169
Using body energy to find clarity Of tone ......... eee eeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeee 170
Defining Healthy Belting ............ cee ccccssccssseessneesscecseeeeseeceseeesseeessneessnees 171
Comparing belt and Chest VOICE ...........ccccessseseesceeseceseesseeeseesseesees 172
Knowing your limits as a beginner belter...........ceeeeseeseeneeereeteees 173
Noting the difference between the S€XES............c:ccsssseeesteeeseesteeees 173
Coordinating breath and eMergy..........ccccccessccssessseesecessesseeeeeseeseees 175
Preparing for Belting .............ccccsccsccsseesseesceeseceseceecesecsseeesesssesesesseeeseeeseeees 175
Speaking ima M evaa E R EA E 175
Calling out to a fried... eee eeecceseeseeseesececeeeeceeaeeeecseceeeeseeeesseeaeens 176
Moving Resonance to the Front... eee eeeeeseeeneeseeeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeees 177
Exploring vibrations Of reSOMANCe.............ceeceeeeeeseeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeneesese 177
Being bratty to feel resonance ........ eee eeeeseeesceeeeeeeeeseeeaeeeneeeeeeeneesaes 178
Combining Resonance and Registration..............:ccceccescsseeseeeeeeseeseeseeseeees 178
Increasing your belt range... eesceessecsseeeseeesseeessneessneeesseeesseeess 179
Belting up the:Salle soeren eneeier aia 180
Advancing Your Belt ............ccccccsscesssccsesscesseecsseeeescecsseeesseeessaeeesseeeseeesseeesens 180
Sustaining belt SOUNAS ..........c cee eeseeseeeseeseeeseceseeeseeesecesecsseesseesseenees 181
Exploring different vowels ...........ccceceessescceeeeeseeeseeeeeceseeeaeeeneeneeeneees 182
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XIV Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Belters and Belt Songs You Should Head...........ccccseescesesseesseseeseeeseeees 183
Male DEMIS issccsiteccie.cees ivscetecescevncausas svanasnecenies tastsctelengeratausevadwes enacted 183
Female Deters sss d.:ceceiesetsessssesscerssatssacsnesceccveiecstdeideasatecsnovnscacansvtenes 184
Belt SONGS 33... sccs acess cdeseceacuvess EEEE AE EE EEEa ERS 184
Chapter 14: Training for Singing ...................0cc cece eee 187
Defining Training Requirements ................ccccccssesssceeeseceeseecsseeesseeessneensnees 187
Crooning as a Country Singer ......... cc ceeseeeseeseceseeeseeeseeeseesecsseeseseneees 187
Jazżziņg it UD eosicceisssorsiuserireesoserieireis reisse sinre n ri a, lea 188
Making your mark in musical theater ........sseseeseeeeeeeeeeresessseressssrese 189
Performing POpP-TOCK ........csccesssecsssessecssesesecsnsseonsesece a Anese eases 190
Opting for OPEV A...........:cssccescsssessecssesssesssesssessceseesesssessesscessessseessessees 191
Showing your range With R&B... ccesesseesesseeseeteeseceeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 192
Training to Sing at Any Age .........cceccescesceseeseeseeeeceeeeeceseeseeseceeeseeeeeneeeseeaeeas 192
Recognizing differences between young singers and teens......... 193
Developing long-term technique in teenagers .............eeeeeeeeereeeees 194
Understanding that voices change with age ...........c:cccsseeesseeeseeees 194
Training with a Choir .........c ccc cescesccsseeseeseccseceseeesecsseceseeeseeesesseeseeeeseeeeeees 195
Enjoying the benefits of singing in the Choir... ee eeeeeeees 196
Singing in the choir versus going solo ...........ccesseeseeseeesseeeeseeeeeees 197
Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher .................... 199
Searching for the Best Voice Teacher..........ccccccscescesceeseeesseeeeesseesseeseeees 199
Finding a prospective Voice teacher ..........:cccscessscsesseeetseeeseeesseeess 199
Identifying What YOU want ..........cceceeceeseeseeeseceeeeeneeeneeeseeeneeeeeeeneesaes 200
Interviewing a prospective teacher... ceeeeseeseceseeeteeeneeeeeeeneesees 201
Knowing What to Expect from a Teachel............cccceseesceseeeeeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 205
Feeling good when you leave the lesson ...........eseeseeseeeseeeeeeeneeees 205
Working with imagery and other tools ..........eeeeeeeseeseeeseeeeeeeneeenes 206
Applying tried-and-true singing methods .......... eee eeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeees 206
Knowing What to Expect from Yourself 0.0... ceseeeeeseeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeanees 207
Developing your OWN practice process ..........c:cceesceseseeesseeeseeesseeess 207
Avoiding overworking your flaws ..........c:cccsssccesceeseceseeesseeessnsessnees 207
Making Your First Lesson a SUCCESS .........ccsceesseesseeseesseeeeeeseseseeeseeeseeeseeees 208
Part W: Preparing to Perfott ccecce 209
Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material ..................... 211
CHOOSING the Song aseene Messe, a Eea nV E E S 211
Finding songs at your level .............cccccccssccesseeesceeesseesseessnseeeeeesseeess 211
Determining the appropriate key for YOU.............::ccscecesseeeseeeeseeees 216
Selecting a suitable song style .......... ccc eecesseseessceseceseeetseeseesseeseees 217
Singing to your Strengths... ccscesessseeseceseeesecesecsseesseceseeseeessees 217
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Table of Contents KV
Shopping for Sheet MUSIC...........:ccccesesssesseesecesecesscesecsseeeseeeseseeesseeeseeeneeees 218
Finding retail Outlets ...........ccccccescceesccesseecsseeeeseecsseeesseessneessneeesseeess 218
Downloading sheet MUSIC............c:eescceeseceseeeeseeesseeesseessneesseeesseeess 219
Flipping through compilation books ........ ee eee eeceeseeeseeeteeeneeeeeeeees 220
Checking out music at your local library...........cccseeseeseeseeeteeeeees 220
Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song ................--00eeeeeees 221
Tackling a Song in Steps ...sessesserersessessrssessersorscesosssseessrsorssrseserssre ern R e 221
Memorizing the lyrics as text... eeeeceeseeeseeeseeeeceaeeeaeeeeeeneeeeees 222
Tapping out the rhythm... ee eeeesesseeeseceeeeseeeaeceaeeeeeeneeenneesaes 223
Singing the melody (without the words) ...........c:ccssseseeeeseeeeeseeteees 226
Putting words and music together ...0........ceeeeseeseeeteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 227
Using Vocal Technique in Your New Song ...........cccescssseeseeeeeeeeseeeeeeeaeens 228
Giving voice tO vowels .........escceceeseeseeseeseeseeseceeeeseeaeeseceeeseeeseneeeseeaeens 228
Backing into phrases ....... ee eeeeeseeseeeseeeseeeeeeesceeseeeaeceaeeeaeseaeeeeeeeneesaes 229
Breathing heavy: Fogging up the WindOWS..............csceseeseeeeeeeeeees 230
Changing the tone for each SeCtiON..........ceeeeeeseesscetseetseeseesseeneees 232
Using Musical Elements to Create Your Arrangement ..............:::ceeee 233
Comparing SONS ........00ss0cssesapeg ere sssessessseoscsesssenssonssvnessecessesseseseses 234
APUICULATION s scc.c2ccciss tieccetes see Mico hore a an Errar E AEREE R 235
DYNAMİC Sisooncenn a PM Me iii iisa ii 235
TEMDO iener a A Bernea NSE EEES 235
Using vocal variety EAN eroriari irine inenen renes EN EEE EE Ei 236
EVDO EEA a. A a E A E E A T, 236
Accompanist MEn era eenean esne Rori K EAST KEANE NESE ENESE ASEESSA 237
Chapter 18: Acting the Song................. cece anana 239
Seeing the Song As a Story ......essessessessessessoseeseeseeseesessresessessessesresreseeseeseesee 239
Chatting it up before you Sİng.........esesessesssesrsesersrserrrsrereresesersnsersesese 239
Musical reESPONSESk.iesroceirereessisrenaros renier rntti r rert eitn E EET or eNi 240
Accounting for interludes .............cc:ccccssessssessseeeesseesseeceseeesseeesseessnees 241
EXPloning Character erore oa REN aR 241
Characterizing your character ...........ccccscesscessesseessceseessecsssesseeseees 242
Discovering your character’s motivation ............seeseeeeeseeessssersesseeee 243
Planning actions to get something dOne..............cccccsceeesseeeseeeeseeees 244
Getting Physical). os iic son iienialesvia catiantiessavien E i 244
Figuring out where to fOCUS...........c:ccscesceeseeseeseeseesecseceeeeseeseeseeaeeaeens 245
Gesturing appropriately..........ccceccssessesseesecesecesecsssceseceseesseeseeesnes 246
Movin’ and groovin’ with your SONQ...........esceseeseeeneeeteeeeeeeeeeeneeeeee 248
Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing................. 249
Facing the Symptoms ...........ccccceseescesseeceeceeseeseeseceeseeeeseeseeaeceeseeeeseeeesaeeaeens 249
Alleviating Anxiety through Preparation. .............cccceesesseeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 250
Practicing Well o.stassccxtsngssedutsvectopsaecteash xeceierceonctivesst¥scuneduestesaxedexsdesaines 251
Playing to your Stremgths...........ceeceesceseesceeeceeeeceeseeseceeeeeeeseeeesseeaeens 252
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XVI Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Managing your thoughts .............ccccsscessesscessceseesseeesecesecsseesseeseeeseees 252
Getting UP the Nerve... ceccccccccsssesscesscssecsssceseesecesecessesseceseenseeeees 253
Building performance fOCUS .........ccccccessesssesssesecesceeseceeeeeesseesseeeees 253
Performing to Build Confidence ..........ccccceeceesseessceseeeseeeeeceseeesseeeeeseeeseeees 255
Devising a game Plan ..........ccesccscesscessessscsscessseseesseceseesseessseeseeseeeesees 256
Evaluating your performane...........cccescessesseseeesseessesseesseeeseeseeeenees 257
Chapter 20: Auditioning aSong..................00eeeee eee eens 259
Tailoring Your Audition for Any Venue and Any Style of Music........... 260
Atthe Opera iescicccccts cctcees cesccssechansvsvcesdeveaensvecetassccnesdeceesdaggaes MNO as 260
Onstage at the theater...........ccccesccssessseesseeseceseeesecssecnseceseeseeesseesaes 261
Fin the clin bess sesessessins sedi ele enr hob cele il N aaan 261
On teleVISION..........ccccecsscssscsecsecsscsersescsecsecsecenesnggm Apad cecsssestenscsessecens 262
Choosing Audition Songs to Highlight Your Strengths... 263
Showing versatility ..........cccccccscessceseeesseenececeeceseeseeeeceeceeeseneeeseeaeens 263
Connecting with the lyrics... ecesescesccseceeeeseeseeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeseeaeens 264
Avoiding the wrong audition SONG...........cccecceseeeseeseeeseeesseeseeeeesaes 265
Preparing the MUSIC 0.0... ccc ccccceesseesseeeeseecssceessneessneeceseeesseeceeeesseeesseessnees 266
Choosing the KeY.........:..ssccs0sapag Mere sssessessteosesosssenssonssvncsseesssesseseseees 267
Making the Cit cesiscs isc corse sdssg We sneno esa E EE AA ER E 268
Marking the music ...........8 2 e. Si secccesssccsescssccesscsecenstesstsessccasscensseceses 269
Rehearsing with an acCOMPaNist..............cccccceeseesseeeeteessseeesseeesseeens 270
Bringing a reCOrding ........ ee eeeeeeeeseeeneeeseeeeeeesceeeeeeseeeaeeeseeeaeeeeeeeneesae® 271
Nailing the Audition .0... lee eeeeseeeseesseeeeeceseeeaeeeaeeeeeeeeeseeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeens 272
Doing your Prep WOKK 2.0.0... ceseecceseeeseeeseeeseeeseeeeeeeaeceaeseaeeeneeeeeeeneeeas® 272
Dressing in the right OUtfIt.... ee eeeeeseeeeeeeeeneeeaeeeneeteeeeneesaee 273
Knowing who will attend the audition 0.0.0... ee eeeeseeeseeeeeeeeeeeee 274
Greeting the audition accompanist .............ccceeccesceseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeseens 274
Acting at the audition... ccc ccsccssessecssecesecssecseeesecsseessseseeeseesnes 275
PRepaning Mentally scnis scence seasscecersaceasziccbactasenacseccassccasstcecss 276
Part V: The Part of Tens acses 207
Chapter 21: Ten Performers with Good Technique ............... 279
Kristin CHEMOWEtD s: 0. scssessecessedess sacssts EEE A EE EEA ceaberdeavdevsceess 279
Linda EGGS? aaar a E A doovbeadeees 280
RénGe: Fleming sinioreso eaii eriet EE aiea Eas Eao 280
Fatmi a a e A A A E 280
Michael JaCKSO1s sesinin aeaa Ee EEES EEEE EAEE ERN 280
Toby Keithrysan sanar E dada a Raha 281
Beyoncé KAOWlëS acipar reiia eri E RE S a 281
EIVIS PreSleyo cenia a EEE RE ERE E E EEN 281
Anthöny War lOW cies. ssssscacseticasvcacsasectcesssedscsveceensvveteosereneedbedbqesnasssttvccavaevecness 282
Stevie Wonders: merten n a sdesoeedowenchedesdasceeesnsdeoar’s 282
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Table of Contents XU
Chapter 22: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Singing....... 283
Is Belting Bad? .......ccccccccesescesseseseeseeccsseseeceseeseesesessesecsesseseesesseseeeesaeseeeesseeaees 283
What Should I Do If My Voice Feels Off? ...........ceececeeseeseeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeees 283
How are an Accompanist, a Coach, and a Voice Teacher Different? ....284
If My Voice Is Scratchy, Do I Have Nodes? ..........eccccesesceseceeeeseeeeeeeeeeaeens 285
Do I Have to Be Big to Have a Big VOICE? 0... ee eeceseeseeteeseceeeeseeseeeeeseeaeens 285
What’s the Best Singing Method? ............ccccesessssscesseeseeeseceeesseesseesseeeees 286
Do I Have to Speak Italian to Sing Well? ........c ee eccceseeseceeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeaeees 286
Can I Have a Few Drinks Before the Performance to Calm My Nerves?.....286
Why Can’t I Eat Ice Cream Before I Sing? 0.0... cee eceeseeseesseeceeseeseeteeeeeees 287
How Long Will It Take Me to Learn to Sing? 00... esesesseeseeeeeeeeeeseeeees 287
Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Maintaining Vocal Health............... 289
Identifying Everyday ADUSES.............cc:cccssccsssseesseeesseeceseeeeeeceseeesseeensneessnees 289
Incorporating Healthy Speech into Your Singing «0.0.0.0... .eeceseseeeeeeees 290
Knowing When to Seek Help .0.........cceceesceseesesseesececeeeeeseeseeseceeeeeeneeneesaesaeens 291
Staying Hydrated .0..... cc cececcsscsssessscesscsseeeseceseesseessecsseessesseeceeeeseeeseeeseeseees 292
Getting Plenty of SHUt-Eye ........ ec ccecscssseesecssecsseesseeseeeseeseeeeseeseeeseeeseenes 292
Making Sure That You’re Well Nourished ..............ccceccssceseeseeeeeeseeeeeseeseens 293
Preventing a Sore Throat or Infection .............cccecceseeseeseeseceeeeeeeseeeeeseeaeens 293
Medicating a Sore Throat ..........ccccceceesesceceeeeseescceeceeeeseeseeaeceeseeeseneeeseeaeeas 294
Protecting a Sore Throat ........ccccccscssessssssceessceseceseceseceseceseeesesseesseeeseeeseeses 295
Keeping Your Emotional Life in Check ......... ccc ceceesceeseeseeeseeseeeseeeseeeseeees 296
Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro .................. 297
Rehearsing to Beat the Band .......... cee ecescsesscesseessnceeeeeeeseeceseeesseeesssessnees 297
Wearing the Right Ensemble... ce eeceesescceseeseeeseeeseeeeeceaeeeaeeeneeneeeaees 298
Finding Your Stance .........ccccccescessesseseesseeseeseeseeseeeeeeeeeeeseeaecaeceeeeeeeseeaeeeeaeees 299
Singing with a Piano, Organ, or Band .........eeeeecceseeseeseeseeeeceeeeeeeseeseeseeseees 299
Making Your Entrance ............ccccccsccsssscesseeeeceeseeceseeceseeessaeeseseesseessneeenseeens 300
Roping in Your AUdIeCN Ce... eee ee eeeeeeeeneceseeeseceneeeeeeeecseeceeeeeeeeeeeneeeanees 300
Ignoring That Mosquito .00.... eee eeeesesseeeeeeeneeeaeeeaeceeeececeeceeeeaeeneeeneeeaeens 301
Hoan dling Those Haid si.cicecieieeistessceseiesecsiettentevaceosevatensteatoeeziascecheaesaiveeiaas 302
Using CS MG 5252s sche sic te des beet neoe Rai a E EEN ENER E EEA 302
Taking Your Bow and Leaving the Stage .............cccccessesceeeceeeeeeeseeseeeeaeens 303
Part VI: Appendines ascessi 305
Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique. . .307
Classical: Ten Songs for Soprano ...........eccescesseeeeeceeceeceeseeseeeeeeceneeeeeaeeneenes 307
Classical: Ten Songs for M@ZZ0............cccescessesseeeceeeeseeeeeseeaeeeeeeeeseeeeeaeeaeeaes 308
Classical: Ten Songs for Tenor .............ccescescesseseceeeeeeeeeeseeseeeeeeeeseeseeaeeneeaes 308
Classical: Ten Songs for Baritone or Bass ...........:c:cesceseeseeeeeeeeeseeseeeeneeees 309
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XU Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Soprano ...........ccceseesceeeeseeeseeeseeeseeeseees 309
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for M@ZZ0.........cccccesceseeeseeeeeseeeseeeseeeseeeeees 310
Musical Theater: Ten Belt Songs for WOMEN .............c:cccscesssesteeseeseeseeees 311
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for TenoL...........cccccsceseesseeeeeseeeseeesseeseeeseeees 312
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Baritenor ............ccceseeseeesseseeeseeeseeeseeees 312
Musical Theater: Ten Belt Songs for MeN............:ccscceseeseesseeseeeseeeseeeseeeee 313
Country: Ten Songs for WOMED............::ccscescesseessceseesssesseeseeeseesseeeseesseeses 314
Country: Ten Songs for Me ..........cceseescssseeseessecsseesseeseceeesseeseseseseeenseenes 314
Pop-Rock: Ten Songs for WOMED...........:c:ccscsssesccesseceeseeseeseceeeeeeeseneeeaeeatens 315
Pop-Rock: Ten Songs for Men ...........ceccescsscessesseseeeeeeeeeseeseeeeceeeeeeseneeeseeaeens 315
Appendix B: About the CD ................. cece eee eee eee eee 317
System Requirements ...........ccccccscsssssseeseeeeceseceseessecsseesseesseceeeesseeseeeseeeseees 317
Track Listings iriennerien a a eei 318
Troubles hooting eienen er n NA oE R EEEE EEn i A 322
Indek .acssssssscssssacsssasrceessisesasrssree My uaaacuansaceaanaanes 223
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Introduction
*m so happy you chose this book! Whether you’re a shower singer or you
secretly desire to sing on a stage, this book is for you. The book is full of
helpful information covering all aspects of singing, from posture and breath-
ing to vocal health and techniques for increasing your range. Absolutely no
experience is necessary! Even if you know zero about singing, you’re going to
have a great time exploring your singing voice.
You can’t develop your singing voice overnight; it takes time. Some people
are born with a voice ready to sing at the Hollywood Bowl, but most people
who like to sing have to work on their voice to prepare it for the first perfor-
mance. Whichever category you fit into, this book has some valuable infor-
mation for you.
Exercising the singing voice is the ticket to improving your technique. The
exercises in the book are similar to what you may encounter in a voice
lesson or a class about singing. By working on exercises, you give your body
a chance to figure out exactly how to make the sounds. After you get the
technical details cooking, you can apply that information to your songs and
sound even better.
You may not have someone there listening to you as you practice, but you
find suggestions throughout the book on how to listen to your voice and cri-
tique it for yourself so that you can improve every time you practice.
About This Book
This book is designed as a reference guide, not as a tutorial, and includes
exercises to help you improve your singing. Flip through and look for parts
that interest you. (For that matter, I recommend that you also go through
the parts that don’t interest you — who knows what you may discover about
your voice?) What’s important to remember is that you don’t have to read
this book from cover to cover to improve your singing; look for the topics
you need and use both the exercises and the CD to develop your best voice.
The CD is an important partner to your book. The CD exercises work the
technical info that you read about in the book. You hear a pattern played for
you on the piano, a singer demonstrates the pattern for you, and the pattern
is repeated several times for you to sing along. Just singing songs is cool, but
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2 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
you want to work on technique to get your songs to sound great. If you work
on the articulation exercises on the CD and then apply that information and
skill to songs, you can sing with great skill and be understood. If you’ve never
had lessons, you may not see the benefit of the exercises in the beginning, or
they may seem difficult. Keep trying them during your practice sessions, and
you may see how quickly the exercises can help you to sing.
Chapter 10 gives you ideas on developing a practice routine to coordinate
all the information that you read in the book with what you hear on the
CD. After you plot out your practice routine, keep the CD handy so you can
choose which tracks to practice. Storing the CD in the back of the book in the
plastic cover is best. Or you may want to put the CD in your car to sing along
with as you drive. That’s cool, as long as you pay attention to your driving.
Because many people respond quickly to imagery, I include ways to use imag-
ery to help you improve your singing. Knowing the mechanics works well
for some singers, and others prefer knowing what to think about or visualize
as they sing. If you want to know what to listen for, I give you that informa-
tion as well. I also explain the exercises by having you do something physi-
cal. Sometimes just feeling the movement in your body gets the idea across.
Whatever way you prefer to use, you can find it in this book.
Conventions Used in This Book
To help you navigate this book with ease, I set the following conventions:
1# I use bold text to highlight key words in bulleted lists.
1# When | introduce a new term that you may not be familiar with, I use
italic and define the term within the text.
Web addresses appear in monofont so they’re easy to find on the page.
When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to
break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that I didn’t
put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So
when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you
see in this book, as though the line break doesn’t exist.
| spell out the vowel sound for you or use symbols found in Webster’s
dictionary, because that’s most common to new singers and nonsingers.
Throughout the book you have opportunities to sing specific vowel
sounds. One vowel sound may need a little explanation. I use the shape
“a” for the vowel sound in the words cat, hat, or Matt. For the vowel
sound in the words father, plaza, or blah, I use “ah.” You can practice
these sounds in Chapter 8 so you know what to do when you see them in
other places in the book.
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Introduction
Musical styles continue to change and the terms used to describe the
styles also continue to change. If you read the history of pop or rock
music, you'll see a long list of titles to describe each era. I use the term
pop-rock for songs that can cross over into both styles. It’s common to
see a great song listed on the hit-song list for different styles of music. In
Chapter 14 you can read about the sounds used in different styles, but
know that pop-rock refers to a song that could fit in either style.
1# I use musical examples throughout the book to give you a visual expla-
nation of the exercises on the CD. You can read an explanation about
musical notation in Chapter 1. There you find information about how the
little circles on the page correspond with the notes on the piano and the
notes you'll sing in specific parts of your range.
What Vou’re Not to Read
This book is full of great information about singing. If you’re new to singing,
you'll have a great time exploring all the details and exercises designed spe-
cifically for you. Feel free to start anywhere in the book that interests you,
and know that the Technical Stuff icon is for singers who are ready for more
detailed information. The same is true for the sidebars. The info in these
gray-shaded boxes is interesting and fun, but not crucial to read the first time
through. You can read it the first time, if you like, or come back to it later.
Foolish Assumptions
Because you're reading this book, I assume that you have an interest in sing-
ing and discovering how to improve your singing. You don’t need any previ-
ous knowledge about singing. You can find information for beginners, as well
as advanced information for singers who have some experience.
How This Book Is Organized
The book is organized into six parts, with each part containing specific types
of information about singing. You explore the mechanics of singing before
you work on your technique. If you have no experience singing, you may find
the first part especially helpful.
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4 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
I cover the three huge singing topics — posture, breathing, and tone — in
Part I. You want these skills to be rock solid. If you have a grasp on these
three important topics, you can increase your singing capability. You may
find yourself coming back to these chapters often to solidify these skills.
Take your time as you work through the first four chapters. You may want to
add the exercises you find in this part to your practice journal. By working on
these skills every day, you can see steady improvement. Another interesting
topic in this part is voice types. If you’ve always wanted to know the differ-
ence between a soprano and a mezzo, Chapter 2 is waiting for you.
Part Íl: Improving Vour Singing
The main topics in Part II are tone, resonance, vowels, and consonants.
Chapter 6 offers you even more information to get you sounding really good
when you sing. After you figure out what tone is all about, you find out about
the resonance of your tone in Chapter 7. If you aren’t sure what resonance is all
about, you can read all about the misconceptions of resonance in Chapter 7.
This part gets your vowels and consonants moving and grooving, too. If you
articulate the vowels and consonants correctly (see Chapters 8 and 9), you
make sure that your audience can easily understand you, no matter what
style of music you sing. Finally, Chapter 10 is all about practicing and devel-
oping a routine to improve your singing voice and apply all the information in
the book.
Part Ill: Advanced Techniques
to Improve Vour Voice
In this part, you move on to information that helps you apply singing tech-
nique. You may have heard people talking about chest voice but may not be
quite sure what that means. Head to Part III to find out more than you ever
dreamed about the registers of the voice. Chapter 11 takes on middle voice,
chest voice, and head voice, and Chapter 12 discusses range. Chapter 13
helps you with your speaking voice and belting. Though you may think that
your speaking voice and singing voice are entirely different, you may be
surprised by how much your speaking voice can help or hinder your sing-
ing. This part also offers some solid suggestions for finding the right voice
teacher (see Chapters 14 and 15). In addition, you can find out more about
various musical styles — classical, country, jazz, musical theater, opera, pop-
rock, and R&B.
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Introduction
Part IV: Preparing to Perform
When you have your technique working well, you may want to test it in
public. Before you walk onto the stage, check out this part for great advice
on how to prepare before the big debut. Chapter 16 helps you figure out how
to choose songs that enhance your technical skills and where to find those
lovely tunes. After you find the tune, you want to explore Chapter 17 for help
with that new song. Trying to figure out the song alone may seem overwhelm-
ing, but Chapter 17 has some helpful hints to make the task manageable.
That new song needs some spice from both the music and the words. Just
looking gorgeous on the stage isn’t enough; you want to give the audience
something to think about as you sing. Chapter 18 explores acting the song
while singing: two skills that are important to use together. If you aren’t sure
you're ready to get out onstage because of butterflies in your stomach, check
out Chapter 19 on performance anxiety. Being nervous is okay, but you can
explore ways to help you with the anxiety so your sweaty palms don’t bother
you as you sing beautifully. If you think your butterflies are a sign that you’re
excited and ready to audition, Chapter 20 gives you some sound advice on
taking your song to an audition. Many people dream of auditioning for a show
but have no idea how to prepare. The answers to your questions and prepa-
ration advice await you in Chapter 20.
Part V: The Part of Tens
If you listen to the top ten songs in your favorite category of music, do you
know which singers have good technique? Because the industry tends to
favor an ability to make big bucks over talent, find out which singers really
have good technique to back up their fame. You may see some surprises on
the list. Handling yourself onstage takes some practice if you’ve never been
in the spotlight. In this part, you can find ten tips to help you perform like
a pro. You may also have some questions about singing that you just didn’t
know whom to ask, so! also made a list of the ten most frequently asked
questions that my students bring to their lessons and a list of ten tips to keep
your voice healthy. You may find the answer to a question that’s been nag-
ging you.
Part VI: Appendixes
Appendix A has a list of songs to explore when you're ready, including classi-
cal, musical theater, pop-rock, and country songs. No matter what style you
like, you can practice your new skills as you work through the book. I chose
these songs because of the benefits they provide for your technique. You
6 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
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may not find the top hits of today on the list, but you can find songs that are
great for working on singing technique, regardless of style. Appendix B has a
chart to coordinate the info on the CD. Use the chart in Appendix B to locate
the skills you want to practice today. By working slowly through the exer-
cises on the CD, you give your body time to figure out how to correctly sing
the exercises and apply that information to the songs in Appendix A.
Icons Used in This Book
we CD
SAN
This icon tells you that a track on the CD corresponds to the information in
the chapter.
This information is so helpful that you should store it in your memory bank.
This icon highlights detailed explanations that you may find really interesting
or may just want to skip right over.
The Tip icon emphasizes good advice from someone who has already made
the mistake and wants to save you the trouble.
To avoid making a blunder or injuring your voice, pay attention to what these
paragraphs have to say.
Where to Go from Here
If you have no singing experience, you may want to start with Chapter 1 and
work your way through the chapters in order. However, this book is designed
to allow you to jump in anywhere you want and start swimming through
information that’s completely understandable. If you have some singing expe-
rience, choose whatever chapter appeals to you. You may have to refer to
other chapters occasionally if you missed a definition, but otherwise, you’re
free to roam the chapters at your own pace and in any order. As you work
through the exercises in this book, you want to have the basic technical skills
of breathing (see Chapter 4) and tone (see Chapters 5 and 6) readily avail-
able. If you find yourself struggling, you may want to go straight to Chapter 3
to make sure that you have proper singing posture.
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Part!
Exploring Singing
Basics
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
“You’ve got a very nice voice for clubs and small
venues, but nothing that would ever inspire an
elephant to charge.”
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In this part...
n this part, you get an introduction to singing. You find
out about different voice types and figure out which
category fits your voice. Then you check out interesting
info about the three biggies: posture, breath, and tone.
You want great posture to get your body lined up and
ready to sing your best, and you need some air moving in
and out of your body to keep the glorious sounds coming
out. Working on tone allows you to improve on the
sounds you’re already making or to tweak your tone a
little if your engine knocks rather than hums.
Take your time as you read through these chapters. You
may even want to come back to the exercises on a regular
basis to maintain a smoothly running vocal engine.
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Chapter 1
Preparing to Sing
In This Chapter
Thinking about your voice type
Starting with the basics: Posture, breath, and tone
Getting familiar with the different parts of your voice
Starting to apply your vocal technique
Ss: you're curious about singing. Whatever musical background and expe-
rience you have or don’t have, this book has something to offer you.
The book contains great exercises and even a CD that allows you to hear the
exercise and sing along. If you’re a beginner, welcome aboard. You can find
out all kinds of cool info about singing in this book. This chapter provides an
overview of all the great stuff you can encounter in the book.
Singing is one of the coolest means of expression out there. Singing well is
about knowing how to work the parts that create the sound for singing. The
chapters that you encounter in the book outline what you need to know in
just the right sequence. You don’t have to read them in the order written to
get what you need. Some of the later chapters may be a little difficult if you
don’t have any singing experience. The only way to know is to jump right in
and start reading on whatever topic interests you.
What Vou Want to Know Right
from the Beginning
Before you choose the date for your first big concert or recital, you want to
find out about singing. The first part of this book provides you with the big
picture.
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10 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Determining your Voice type
Singers usually are eager to determine their voice type because they want a
category to belong to. You may have heard of the categories of singers:
Soprano: Higher female voice
1# Mezzo: Lower female voice
Tenor: Higher male voice
Bass: Lower male voice
If you aren’t sure which one applies to your voice, explore Chapter 2. You can
find explanations of what makes a soprano differ from a mezzo, or a tenor
differ from a bass. You don’t have to figure out your voice type today, but
you can explore the chapter so you know what to listen for as you sing.
Locating the notes on the staff
Voice types are probably easier to figure out if you know where to find the
notes on a musical staff. (See Figure 1-1 in this chapter.) The names of the
notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Those notes repeat across the piano.
The treble clef spaces correspond to the notes F, A, C, and E. Beginning
on the bottom of the staff and going up, the notes spell face. You can use
sentences to remember the other notes. Again, starting on the bottom
line and moving up, the notes on the lines of the staff are E, G, B, D, and
F, letters that begin the words of the sentence Every good boy does fine.
For the bass clef, the spaces are A, C, E, and G, the letters that begin the
sentences All cows eat grass or All cars eat gas. The lines in the bass clef
are G, B, D, F, and A, which correspond to Good boys do fine always. If
you prefer animals, then use Great big dogs fight animals.
If I say that a singer’s range is Middle C to High C, I have to use ledger lines to
notate those two notes because they’re not within the five-line staff. Ledger
lines are extra lines added above or below the staff for notes that are higher
or lower than the notes on the staff. When you find Middle C in Figure 1-1,
you can see the extra line added below the staff. The easiest way to find
Middle C on the piano is to look at the brand name printed on the lid cover-
ing the keys. If you find that brand name, the C right in the middle of that
name, or just to the left, is usually Middle C.
Sass
Figure 1-1:
Locating
notes on the
staff.
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Chapter 1: Preparing to Sing
Treble Male
Clef : Fas
Middle C High C eo?
¥ oe
oe
CDEFGABCDEFGABC
Bass +
Clef o2
a o e
FGABCDEFGABC
4th space sth fine
O ©
ol o2
O Se
1st space Ist line
1st space Ist line
A C E G G B D F A
Middle C is called Middle C because it’s in the middle of the keyboard that con-
tains 88 keys. Middle C is also called C4, because it’s the fourth C on the key-
board. If Middle C is C4, then the next C above is C5, and so on. C is the note
just to the left of the pair of black keys. The distance between the two Cs is
called an octave. If you start counting at the first C and count eight white notes
up, you find another C. That means the E just above Middle C (C4) is E4. Easy
enough, but not every person you encounter knows this system, so I stick to
what works: Middle C.
You also encounter the words flat and sharp in this book. Flats lower a pitch
a half step and a sharp raises the pitch a half step. F-sharp is the black key
on the piano between F and G. The same black key between F and G can be
called G-flat.
11
12
Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Considering posture, breath, and tone
First, you want to get yourself aligned — that is, line up all your body parts to
get ready to sing — and then explore your breathing. Breathing while singing
is different from breathing normally, because you have to take in more air
and use more air over a longer period of time. When you get the air flowing,
you can explore the tone of your voice.
Correcting posture for a better sound: Posture is important in singing
well. If all the parts for singing are lined up correctly, you stand a really
good chance of getting wonderful sounds to come flying out of your body.
Knowing how to stand isn’t rocket science, but it may take a little adjust-
ment on your part. If you aren’t used to standing tall all the time, you may
feel a bit awkward at first. Chapter 3 explores posture for singing.
Knowing the keys to proper breathing: The big key to great singing is
knowing how to use your breath to make the sounds. You may not know
how to get much breath in your body and then make it last throughout
a long phrase. If you check out Chapter 4, you can find all kinds of exer-
cises and explanations on how to work on your breath so you can sing
those long phrases in your favorite song.
Finding your tone: Vocal tone is important because you want the best
sounds to come out of your mouth. By exploring exercises on tone, you
can make changes to your sound. People often tell me that they want to
change the way they sound. To change your sound, you need to know
how you create sound. The two chapters on tone, Chapters 5 and 6, give
you quite a bit of information about how to start a note and then what to
do to make the note sound a specific way.
Developing Vour Singing Voice
When you have the basic information swimming around in your head, you
can start to work on your singing voice. Chapters 6 through 9 offer you
more specific information about how to create a sound that’s unique to you.
Sometimes singers try to imitate their favorite famous singer. A better idea
is to sound like yourself. Your voice can be just as fabulous as that famous
singer’s. You just have to practice to develop it.
Following are some points to work on:
Filling the auditorium with resonance: Resonance is the echoing of
tone. In Chapter 7, you find out how to use resonance to project your
voice. Singing loudly makes a lot of sound, but using resonance allows
you to project the sound over the orchestra to the back of the concert
hall. Find out how your voice can resonate so Uncle Sam can hear you
from the back row.
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Chapter 1: Preparing to Sing 13
Fine-tuning vowels and consonants: A long time ago in grade school,
you had to work with vowels and consonants. Well, you can refresh
yourself in Chapters 8 and 9. By making your vowels and consonants
specific, you can make yourself easily understood when you're singing.
You’ve probably heard someone sing but couldn’t understand a word
they said. It’s even worse when the song is in English or a language that
you speak. By knowing how to articulate vowels and consonants, you
can create specific sounds that your audience can follow.
Warming up your voice: Practice makes perfect! After you discover
all this great information about singing, you need to develop a plan for
practicing it on a regular basis. If practicing seems like a foreign con-
cept to you, check out Chapter 10. The whole chapter is devoted to
helping you figure out what to do when you warm up and how to apply
the exercises that you read about in the book to your daily practice
routine. Because you can explore so much, make a list of what you want
to accomplish today, and then add more to that list each time that you
practice.
Working the Different
Parts of Vour Voice
Your goal is to make your singing voice sound like one smooth line from top to
bottom. Your voice may have a few bumps and wiggles as you work your way
up and down. That’s perfectly normal, but help is right at hand. Chapters 11
and 12 work with specific areas of the voice called registers — chest voice,
head voice, middle voice, and falsetto. In these chapters, you can discover
what each part of the voice feels like and what to do with it. When you’re
ready, try these tips:
Strengthening your middle, chest, and head voice to get a complete
vocal workout: The first step in the workout for the voice is to find
the different registers of the voice and then notice what each feels like.
After you find them, you want to try to smooth the transition between
registers. You may find that your chest voice and head voice feel miles
apart. The exercises in Chapters 11 and 12 are designed to help you
smooth out the bumps. You may not think the exercises are easy in the
beginning, which is good. I don’t want you to be bored. Even if you’ve
never explored any vocal sounds, you can figure out these exercises
and get your voice in good working order — it just takes some time and
patience.
Chapter 12 helps you refine your register transitions and extend your
range. Some songs require flexibility, and the exercises in the chapter
help you develop agility and even try out your agility in some pop riffs.
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14 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Adding belting technique to your list of skills: Your speaking voice
needs a workout to get you started on belting. Belting is the sound that
you want to make for musical theater or pop-rock songs. The exercises
start from the beginning, so you don’t have to know anything about belt-
ing to take on the information in Chapter 13.
Applying Vour Technique
After you explore your technique through the exercises that I provide, you
need to take the next step. Chapters 14 through 18 are about applying your
technique. At some point, you want to apply that healthy technique to songs.
You also want to maintain your healthy technique and a healthy voice at all
times. When your technique is really cooking, you can explore Chapters 19
and 20, about moving your technique into a performance situation.
Performances can be big or small. Whatever the size of the audience, you
want to look like a pro and feel good about what you’re doing onstage.
To start applying your technique when singing songs for yourself or others,
consider the following:
Training for singing: Finding a voice teacher can be tricky. When you find
the right teacher, the experience can be rewarding. If you aren’t sure how to
go about finding a teacher, explore the tips and suggestions in Chapter 15.
Finding the teacher may be the most difficult part. After you answer the
questions in Chapter 15, you'll have a better idea of what you want from
voice lessons. Whether or not you hire a voice teacher, you can check
out Chapter 14 for information about training to sing different styles of
music. Knowing what’s required of your voice allows you to dive right
into the right chapters.
Choosing appropriate singing material: Finding new songs to sing can
be overwhelming. You have so many choices, but how do you know
what works for you? The clues are in Chapter 16. The lists there offer
suggestions on what to look for and what to avoid when choosing songs.
Whether you want a song to sing for your own pleasure or a song for a
specific function, you want a song that accentuates your strengths.
For more suggestions of songs, you can explore Appendix A for a list of
suggested songs for enhancing your singing technique. The songs cover
different styles of music, from classical to country. After you choose the
song you want to sing, check out Chapter 17 for some tips on how to
master the song in a short amount of time.
Feeling comfortable with the music and text: In Chapter 18, you can
explore acting to combine with your singing. Sounding good when you
sing is great, but you want to sound good and understand the story
behind the music. You don’t have to know anything about acting to
explore this chapter; it’s all right there for you.
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Chapter 1: Preparing to Sing 15
Overcoming performance anxiety: If your daydreams of singing are
clouded with anxiety about singing in front of an audience, Chapter 19 is
just for you. By confronting your fear and taking charge, you can make
progress and let go of the anxiety. You only add pressure to your per-
formance if you assume that you’re supposed to be totally calm. Many
famous performers get nervous before a performance. After exploring
Chapter 19, you’ll know that it’s fine to be nervous, but you can still sing
while nervous.
Nailing your audition: So many singers dream of auditioning for a
Broadway show or entering a singing competition that I wrote a whole
chapter about auditioning your song. Chapter 20 has information for you
on what to expect at the audition, who may be there, what you may have
to sing or do, and how to prepare for the audition. Because an audition
for a musical is different from an audition for an opera, you want to
know what’s kosher and what’s not.
Having Fun
Singing is about more than just alignment and technique — although, of
course those considerations are important. If you concentrate only on the
technical aspect of singing, you may end up singing from your head rather
than your heart. Remember to let loose every once in awhile and have fun
with it!
Some performers are really amazing onstage — obviously having fun — and
they also have great technique. Check out Chapter 21 to see whether any
of your favorite singers made my list of performers with great technique.
And if you want your performance to be spectacular, Chapter 24 has some
great tips on performing like a pro. Before your big performance, check
out Chapter 22 for answers to the most commonly asked questions about
singing, and see Chapter 23 for information on keeping your voice healthy.
Maintaining a healthy voice is important. Your cords are really small, and
you want to take good care of them. You can also read about medications
and other factors that influence your singing voice. A healthy voice and solid
technique will keep you singing for years to come.
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16 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Chapter 2
Determining Your Voice Type
In This Chapter
Understanding the highs and lows of voice types
Discovering the voice type categories
Finding out where you fit in
Frei your voice type is a challenge because several ingredients com-
bine to create a voice type. You don’t have to know your voice type if
you're singing for your own enjoyment, but you may be curious to find out. If
you aspire to sing professionally or do some professional auditions, you defi-
nitely want to know your voice type. You'll be asked at the audition, so you
want to know that answer before someone asks. Chapter 20 has more info
about auditions. Determining your voice type — soprano or mezzo-soprano
for women, tenor or bass for men — enables you to choose songs that are
most appropriate for you. After you figure out what category you fit into,
check out Appendix A for a list of songs suitable for your voice type. Read
on to explore how each voice type sounds and how to determine where your
voice fits.
Sifting through the Ingredients to
Determine Vour Voice Type
Think of a voice type as a series of ingredients mixed together to create
a unique-tasting dessert. For singing, the ingredients combine to create a
unique-sounding voice. The four common voice types are soprano, mezzo-
soprano (often called mezzo), tenor, and bass (the next section, “Identifying
the Fab Four,” tells you all about these four voice types). These five ingredi-
ents determine a voice type:
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18 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Age: Many singers are assigned a voice type as young singers, but
voices change with age. In Chapter 11, you can read about the growth
of the male singing muscles up to age 20. All voices continue to grow
and develop with age. Think about the last time you made a phone call
and heard the sound of a stranger’s voice. Even if you didn’t know the
person on the other end, you could guess his age by listening to his
speaking voice. Because speaking voices and singing voices change
with age, wait until your body is finished growing to determine your
voice type.
Range: Range is all the notes a singer can hit — including the highest
note, the lowest note, and all the notes between. Beginning singers
usually have a shorter range than more advanced singers, because the
high notes or low notes get stronger with practice. As you practice the
exercises with this book and accompanying CD, your range will expand
whether you’re a beginner or an advanced singer. Knowing your range
helps you figure out your voice type, because a bass can sing lower than
a tenor, and a soprano can sing higher than a mezzo. The factors that
most affect how you determine your voice type are range, in which part
of your range you’re most comfortable singing, and register transitions.
Register: A series of adjacent notes that sound similar are produced in
a similar fashion and have a similar tonal quality. The notes sound simi-
lar because the same muscles produce them and they often vibrate in
a similar location in a singer’s body. The transitions between the regis-
ters can help you determine your voice type. Keep reading this chapter
to find out where each voice type feels transitions to help you decide
whether your voice does something similar. The transitions in
your voice may change as your voice develops. (Chapter 11 has
more on registers.)
The range of the voice where a singer is most comfortable is called tes-
situra. If you hear the word tessitura used in a discussion about a song,
in that case, it refers to the area where most of the notes lie in the
song. The tessitura of a Stevie Wonder song is quite high, because he’s
comfortable singing a lot of high notes. The tessitura for “God Bless
America” and most folk songs is lower. Knowing where your voice is
most comfortable, as well as where it’s uncomfortable, is a determining
factor when it comes to voice type.
Tone of voice: Each voice has a specific tonal quality or color. Color is
also called timbre. Words that describe tone include strident, dark, bright,
metallic, ringing, and shrill. When determining a voice type, the voice
tone helps you further determine your category. The tone of voice for a
tenor is often much brighter than the tone of voice for a bass.
Voice strength: Knowing your voice strength also helps you determine
your voice type. Sopranos and tenors have a stronger head voice than
mezzos and basses. Likewise, mezzos and basses have a stronger, meat-
ier middle voice than sopranos and tenors. (Chapter 11 gives you details
on head voice and middle voice.)
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In classical music or the opera world, voice
types can be further divided into categories
based on the size and agility of the voice. The
first four terms are in order like the soda sizes at
the fast-food joint. Light is the small, lightweight
cup, and dramatic is the cup so large that it
won't fit in the cup holder in your car.
Light: A bright, youthful, agile voice.
Lyric: A medium-sized voice with a warm
color that's comfortable singing long, even
phrases. Lyric is appropriate for a romantic
character.
Full: A louder, stronger voice that doesn't
necessarily sing fast lines as easily as a
light voice.
Dramatic: A voice that's even louder than
a full voice and sings a heavier repertoire,
such as Wagner. Dramatic voices can peel
Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice Type
Vocal subdivisions
the paint off the wall from 50 paces. These
voices are big and heavier than full lyric
voices; they aren't known for subtlety —
they're all about power and strength.
1#” Coloratura: A flexible voice that moves
easily through fast lines in the music.
A singer can be a mix of the terms in the pre-
ceding list. For example, a light lyric coloratura
refers to a medium-sized light voice that moves
easily. Seeing the words combined to describe
a voice type isn't so confusing if you under-
stand the definition of each descriptive word.
However, only in the classical world is it impor-
tant for you to know how your voice fits within
this list. Don’t worry about the specific kind of
category you're in until you get some training.
Check out the upcoming section, “Identifying
the Fab Four,” for more information about voice
types and their subdivisions.
Don’t classify yourself too quickly based on the preceding factors. For the gen-
eral purposes of singing, focus on building great technique and see how your
voice responds. Your voice tells you what voice type it really is; you just have
to know how to look and listen.
MBER
KV
&
Identifying the Fab Four
The four voice types are soprano, mezzo, tenor, and bass. Even though these
names sound like characters in a mob movie, I promise you that they’re
nothing to be afraid of. In the upcoming sections, you discover specific traits
about each voice type: the range, register transitions, voice tone, and any
subdivisions of that voice type, as well as the names of a few famous singers
to help you put a sound with the voice type.
19
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20 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
MBER nr ’ .
& Note that when I talk about register transitions, they don’t occur on just one
note. That’s because not all sopranos (or mezzos, tenors, or basses) are
the same.
If you’re confused after reading about all the voice types, remember that
naming your voice type today isn’t absolutely necessary. After you read the
descriptions of the voice types in this chapter, you may be ready to vote
soprano over mezzo or bass over tenor for now. Try that range for a while
and see whether it fits well.
ay? Listen to recordings of singers and read about what they’ve sung during their
careers. If you know of singers who have voices similar to yours, look at the
roles they sang. Think about the following factors when you’re listening to the
singers in Table 2-1:
What’s the timbre of your voice? Is the tone more steely than choco-
laty? Steely isn’t a negative adjective; it’s merely fact. Very often the
steely voice is the character audiences love, but they don’t want to rush
up and put their arms around her and rescue her.
Is your voice light and flutelike? If so, listen to the lighter voices in
Table 2-1. Is your voice loud and heavy even when you're lightly singing?
Heavy means the sound that you’re making is loud even when you’re
singing comfortably; listen to the singers in the dramatic list.
What’s your singing range and tessitura? The difference between a
mezzo and a soprano often is tessitura. The mezzo can sing the high
notes but doesn’t want to live up there, and the soprano wants to sing
one high note after another. If you’re new to singing, you may not be
able to tell the difference between a soprano and a mezzo or a baritone
and a tenor. No worries. Keep listening to the sounds, and you'll eventu-
ally be able to tell the difference between the voice types.
Are you able to move your voice easily? Do you enjoy the fast passages
in the song and think of them as fun? If the fast notes are easy for you,
you can add coloratura to your vocal description. The coloraturas in
Table 2-1 demonstrate some spectacular fast moves with their voices.
What do you consider the general or overall strengths of your voice —
strong middle voice or head voice, perhaps? Your vocal strengths
change as you practice. Notice the differences in the voices in Table 2-1.
Compare and contrast the sounds you hear between voice types to hear
their strengths.
g MBER ‘ Ante oe :
If you’re new to singing, determining your voice type by yourself may take a
few months. Your voice changes with practice. So have fun listening and sort-
ing through all the different types.
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Table 2-1
Voice Type
21
Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice Type
Singers from the Opera World
Examples
Lighter soprano
Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, Barbara Bonney
Lyric soprano
Angela Gheorghiu, Sumi Jo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
More dramatic
soprano
Hildegard Behrens, Birgit Nilsson, Deborah Voigt
Coloratura soprano
Natalie Dessay, Beverly Sills, Dame Joan Sutherland
Lighter mezzo
Cecilia Bartoli, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade
Lyric mezzo
Susanne Mentzer, Anne-Sophie von Otter, Wendy White
Dramatic mezzo
Olga Borodina, Waltraud Meier, Dolora Zajick
Coloratura mezzo
Cecilia Bartoli, Marilyn Horne
Contralto Marian Anderson, Kathleen Ferrier, Maureen Forrester
Lighter tenor Rockwell Blake, Peter Pears, Fritz Wunderlich
Lyric tenor Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, George Shirley
Dramatic tenor
James King, Lauritz Melchior, Jon Vickers
Coloratura tenor
Juan Diego Florez, Jerry Hadley
Baritone
Dimitry Hvorostovsky, Herman Prey, Gino Quilico
Bass
Kurt Moll, Paul Plishka, Samuel Ramey
Highest range of the dames: Soprano
The soprano has the highest range of the female voice types. The following
aspects are characteristic of her voice type:
Range: Often Middle C to High C, although some sopranos can vocalize
way beyond High C and much lower than Middle C (see Figure 2-1).
A soprano is expected to have a High C, and many sopranos can sing up
to the G or A above High C. Choral directors or musical directors listen
for the singer’s comfort zone when determining whether the singer is
a soprano. Although a mezzo can reach some of these higher notes, a
soprano is capable of singing high notes more frequently than a mezzo.
Register transitions: The transitions usually occur as the soprano shifts
out of chest voice around the E-flat just above Middle C and into her
head voice around F-sharp (fifth line on top of the staff) in the octave
above Middle C.
Strength: A soprano’s strength is a strong head voice.
Voice tone: The soprano voice is usually bright and ringing.
1#” Weakness: Sopranos have a hard time projecting in middle voice.
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22 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
LST;
RS Yee Soprano subdivisions in the classical world include light lyric, full lyric,
light lyric coloratura, full lyric coloratura, light dramatic coloratura, full
dramatic coloratura, light dramatic (or spinto), and full dramatic.
Soprano belter: A soprano belter has an easier time managing her
chest voice for belting and usually belts higher than a mezzo. Check
out these names to hear some soprano belters: Betty Buckley, Celine
Dion, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, Carrie
Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson.
Common performance roles: The soprano is usually the lead in the
show, such as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Marian the Librarian in The
Music Man, Tosca in Tosca, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Mimi in
La Bohéme.
Naming names: Famous sopranos you may know include Julie Andrews,
Sarah Brightman, Kristin Chenoweth, Renée Fleming, Beyoncé Knowles,
Audra McDonald, Olivia Newton John, and Dolly Parton.
e
E
Figure 2-1: |
Soprano eo
range.
=e Middle C (C4) to High C (C6)
How low can she go: Mezzo
The difference between a mezzo (mezzo is the abbreviated term for mezzo-
soprano) and a soprano is often tessitura. (Tessitura refers to where most
of the notes lie in a song — the notes that a voice feels most comfortable
singing.) Many mezzos can sing as high as a soprano, but they can’t stay as
high as a soprano. For example, some roles in operatic literature require the
mezzo to sing as high as the soprano lead, but the mezzo usually doesn’t
have to sing as many high notes as a soprano does — thank goodness —
because the mezzo comfort zone is usually different than the soprano;
mezzos prefer to live in their middle voices. On the other hand, a soprano
hates to live in her middle voice, preferring to sing high notes and soar above
the orchestra.
To further confuse you, many sopranos sing mezzo repertoire. How dare
they! That’s not fair, but it’s a fact. As in other aspects of life, after the
soprano becomes famous, she sings repertoire that she enjoys and that
may be music written for somebody else, such as mezzos. So just because a
soprano sings a song doesn’t mean that it’s a soprano song. You have to look
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Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice Type 23
at the details, such as the range of the song, and decide whether that range
fits your voice. You can find more information about selecting appropriate
songs for your voice in Chapter 16 and a list of songs for each voice type in
Appendix A.
Range: The mezzo range is usually G below Middle C to a High B or High
C. Many mezzos vocalize as high as a soprano but can’t handle the rep-
etition of the upper notes (see Figure 2-2).
Register: The register transitions for the mezzo usually occur at E or F
(first space) just above Middle C, and the E or F (fifth line) one octave
above that.
Strength: Mezzos have a strong middle voice.
Voice tone: The mezzo voice is usually darker or deeper than her
soprano counterpart.
Weakness: A mezzo’s head voice is often her weakness.
Subdivisions: One subdivision of mezzo is contralto. Singers often mis-
takenly say that they are altos. Alto is the part listed in choral music,
but the voice type is either mezzo or contralto. Less common than
mezzos, contraltos can usually sing from F below Middle C to about an
F (fifth line) below High C. A contralto has a darker, richer color and is
more at home in the lower part of her voice. Sometimes singers darken
their voices intentionally to make themselves sound like contraltos. The
contralto may take her chest voice-dominated sound up to a G (second
line) above Middle C and shift into head voice around the D (fourth
line), an octave above Middle C. Examples of contraltos include Marian
Anderson and Maureen Forrester.
¥ Mezzo subdivisions in the classical world include light lyric coloratura,
full lyric coloratura, light lyric, full lyric, and dramatic. The dramatic
mezzo is similar to the dramatic soprano. To be fair to the sopranos, I
confess that dramatic mezzos sometimes sing roles written for the dra-
matic soprano. You go, girls!
Mezzo belter: A mezzo belter doesn’t belt as high as the soprano belter.
She has a heavier chest voice and is more comfortable singing material
that’s lower. Listen to these singers to hear the sounds of mezzo belters:
Bea Arthur, Pearl Bailey, Kaye Ballard, Carol Burnett, Carol Channing,
Angela Lansbury, Lorna Luft, and Leslie Uggams.
Common performance roles: The mezzo is often the mother, the witch,
or the sleazy girl in town. Her roles include such fun ones as Miss
Hannigan in Annie, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and The Beast, Carmen in the
opera Carmen, Amneris in Aida, and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!
Naming names: Famous mezzos you may know include Karen Carpenter,
Patsy Cline, Marilyn Horne, k. d. lang, and Lorrie Morgan.
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24 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
e
ET
Figure 2-2:
Mezzo m:
range.
a G below Middle C to B (B5)
Highest range of the dudes: Tenor
Thanks to the Three Tenors, the Irish Tenors, and even Three Mo’ Tenors,
you probably have a good idea of what a fenor sounds like.
Range: The tenor range, shown in Figure 2-3, is about two octaves, with
many singing a little lower than C (second space in bass clef) and a little
higher than the male High C (third space treble clef).
Register: The tenor voice doesn’t make a huge transition from his lower
voice to his middle voice. His transition into his middle voice occurs
around D just above Middle C or the E-flat just above Middle C and then
a transition into head voice around G or A-flat above Middle C.
Strength: The tenor’s strength is his head voice.
Voice tone: The tenor voice is usually bright and ringing.
Weakness: His weakness is often his chest voice.
Subdivisions: In musical theater, a subdivision of the tenor, called the
baritenor, reigns. This voice type is someone with the power to project
in the middle voice and the higher, ringing money notes of the tenor.
The other voice type that you frequently hear in the opera world is the
countertenor — a male singer who sounds like a female. This voice type
sings in the same range as the mezzo (sometimes soprano) and sounds
similar. When you’ve heard the countertenor singing enough, you can
distinguish him from a mezzo. Until then, just enjoy the unique quality
that these gentlemen bring to the singing world.
Tenor subdivisions in the classical world include light lyric, full lyric,
dramatic, and heroic. The heroic tenor is also called a dramatic tenor —
the guy who has a large voice with great stamina. Don’t challenge him to
a singing contest at the local pub.
Common performance roles: The tenor is almost always the lead who
wins the girl at the end of the show. Examples include Rodolfo in La
Bohéme, Don José in Carmen, Tony in West Side Story, Billy in 42nd
Street, and Rolf in The Sound of Music.
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Chapter 2: Determining Your Voice Type 25
1#” Naming names: Famous tenors you may know include Placido Domingo,
José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti, whom you may recognize as
the Three Tenors. You also may know Enrico Caruso, John Denver,
Elton John, Gary LeVox (lead singer of Rascal Flatts), Maxwell, Justin
Timberlake, and Stevie Wonder.
—— í) |
Figure 2-3:
Tenor
range. C one octave below Middle C to C one octave above
=m Middle C
He’s so low: Bass
Bass is the lowest of the voice types. The bass is the guy who sings all the
cool low notes in the barbershop quartet.
Range: His range is usually F (below the bass clef staff) to E (first line
treble clef) but can be as wide as E-flat to F (see Figure 2-4).
Register transitions: The bass changes from chest voice into middle
voice around A or A-flat just below Middle C and changes into head
voice around D or D-flat just above Middle C.
Strength: His chest voice is his strength.
¥ Voice tone: His voice is the deepest, darkest, and heaviest of the
male voices.
1” Weakness: His head voice is his weakness.
Subdivisions: Filling in the middle between tenor and bass is the bari-
tone. Baritones are very common. Young bass singers often start out as
a baritone and then the voice changes. The baritone can usually sing
from an A (first space bass clef) to F (first space treble clef) below the
male High C. The bass-baritone has some height of the baritone and
some depth of the bass; his range is usually A-flat (first space bass clef)
to F (first space treble clef) and sometimes as high as G below the male
High C. The baritone’s register transitions usually occur at the B or B-flat
just below Middle C and the E or E-flat above Middle C.
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26 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Bass subdivisions include the comic bass (funny guy in the show), as
well as lyric and dramatic bass. His subdivision buddy, the baritone,
also comes in different shapes and sizes: light lyric baritone, full lyric
baritone, and bass baritone.
Common performance roles: The bass or baritone is often the villain,
father, or older man. Examples include Ramfis in Aida, the Mikado in The
Mikado, and Jud Fry in Oklahoma! Some exceptions to this villain image
are King Arthur in Camelot, Porgy in Porgy and Bess, and the Toreador in
ott S TUp,,
Carmen.
Naming names: Famous basses you may know include José Van Dam,
Tennessee Ernie Ford, James Morris, Samuel Ramey, and Barry White.
Famous baritones include Trace Adkins, Billy Currington, Jamey
Johnson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, John Raitt, George Strait, and
Tom Wopat.
Le
Figure 2-4:
Bass range. F about an octave and a half below Middle C to
eee E above Middle C
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Chapter 3
Aligning Your Body
for Great Singing
In This Chapter
Checking out your carriage and bearing
Striking the right stance to help you sing
Lengthening, limbering, and getting ready to sing
MBER
KO
&
T: sing efficiently, you need to line up all your body parts and get them
ready to do their job with as little tension as possible. If you’re slumped
over, you have more trouble taking the breath you need to sing, because
posture and tension directly affect the muscles. Tension in your body also
prevents you from taking a deep breath and makes singing more difficult. In
this chapter, you discover how to create correct, tension-free posture so you
can project confidence and sing your best.
In this chapter, I nag you about posture so you become physically aware of
your body. In some of the exercises later in the book, you must find your align-
ment, open your body for breath, drop your jaw, find the correct shape for the
vowel, move the breath to begin the tone, and look like you’re having a great
time. That’s plenty to think about. Take some time now to really understand
how your body moves and to recognize tension so you won’t be so frustrated
later when I ask you to do ten things at once!
Evaluating Vour Posture
In front of a full-length mirror, look at your posture. Notice the way you hold
your body, especially your head, chest, hips, knees, arms, and hands. More
than likely, after you looked in the mirror, you changed your posture. Did
you change your posture because you thought your body may work better
or because you thought you may look better? For singing, you evaluate your
posture for both reasons. Aligning your body properly puts all the muscles
that help you sing in the right position. Proper alignment gets you singing
better and also makes you appear confident and professional.
28
Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Ce
Figure 3-1:
Ideal align-
ment of the
skeleton.
SS
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Look at Figure 3-1 and check out the alignment of the skeleton. Take some
time to study the skeleton and notice the connection of bones. Throughout
the chapter, I point out the particular area of the skeleton you’re aligning.
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Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing
As you continue to evaluate your own posture, notice the posture of others.
Observe their movements to better understand what you need to do to
change your own alignment.
Creating Correct Posture
Creating correct posture means finding out what correct posture looks like
and feels like so that you can quickly make whatever changes you need. By
changing your posture, you control what kind of impression you make on
others — whether you’re on the stage singing or at the audition vying for the
show’s lead. Good posture keeps energy flowing instead of trapping it in one
body part, and it also aligns your body for correct breathing. See Chapter 4
for more information about breathing for singing. Read on for ways to align
your body for great singing.
Nervous ticks, such as constant finger wiggling, frequent shifting of weight
from one foot to the other, and roaming eyes, are examples of energy that isn’t
freely flowing throughout the body. If you catch yourself twisting your hands
or wiggling your fingers frequently while singing, watch yourself in the mirror
to become aware of the movement. Then allow yourself to move around as you
sing, to use that excess energy. After you move around, stand still but maintain
that same freedom in your body, as if you may move at any moment. Freely
flowing energy keeps you looking confident and singing well. Using your acting
skills also gives your body something specific to do, so the random wiggles and
twitches often subside. See Chapter 18 for more on acting and singing.
Feeling grounded on your feet
The root of good posture is the position of your feet and the balance of
weight on your feet. Seems like the feet are a long way from the singing pro-
cess, but equal distribution of weight on the feet allows all the muscles to
stay released so you can make gorgeous sounds. Try this sequence to find
the balance of weight on your feet.
1. While you’re standing, roll your foot to find the tripod.
Roll your foot on the floor to make a circle that moves from your heel
through the outside of your foot, across your toes, and down the inside
of your foot. As you roll the foot, you feel the heel bone in the back of
your foot, a bone or protrusion under your little toe, and another protru-
sion or bone under your big toe. Roll among these three points several
times so that you really feel the points. Some people call these three
points the tripod.
29
30 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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If you aren’t sure whether you felt the tripod when you rolled your foot,
sit down and feel along the bottom of your foot to find the three points.
Take your time and feel each point. Look at the skeleton in Figure 3-1.
Take special notice of the bones that make up the foot.
2. When you’re confident that you feel the three points on the foot, bal-
ance your weight on those three points.
The phrase that the three-legged table is always level applies here. You
want your weight evenly balanced on the three points. If you intention-
ally lean back and put your weight on your heels, you feel the front of
your body tighten to hold you up. Likewise, if you lean forward and put
your weight on the front of your feet, you feel the back of your body
tighten. Watch yourself in the mirror or observe the tension in your
body. Try to find the center, or the position where you’re neither for-
ward nor back; you’re evenly balanced on your feet and aligned.
3. When you find the three points and your balance on one foot, find
them on the other foot.
Practice standing with your weight balanced on the three points to make sure
that you’re not rolling your weight to the outside of your feet. Some people
unconsciously stand with the inside of their feet raised and the outside of
their feet pressed into the ground. This stance creates tension in your body.
You can feel the tension on the outside of your legs when you press the out-
side of your feet into the floor. Watch yourself in the mirror to check that your
feet are balanced on the three points.
Putting your feet in position
After you find the balance of weight on the feet, place your feet beneath your
hips. If you place your hands on your hips, you can feel the muscles of your
hips on the sides of your body and you can also feel your hipbone in the
front. Directly under the hipbone is your foot (find the hipbone in Figure 3-1).
A lot of people tend to put their feet at shoulder width, which may or may
not work for you. Women tend to have narrow shoulders and wider hips,
whereas men tend to have wide shoulders and narrow hips. Regardless of the
width of your shoulders, you want to align your feet under your hips.
I recommend that you place the feet side by side under your hips so that you
feel the equal balance of weight on your feet. When that stance feels familiar
to you, change the position of your feet and maintain the balance of weight in
your body. You want equal distribution of weight and effort in the body. You
can also stand with your toes pointed out, to feel the tension created in the
legs. Likewise, you can stand with your toes pointed in and notice that effect
on the muscles in your legs. You want to explore the feeling of toes pointed
straight and the feeling of parallel feet.
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Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing
Your toes may seem like cute little extensions of your feet, but they also play a
role in your balance. Stand with your weight balanced on the three points.
Now lift your toes and notice the sensations of the three points. Most people
find that lifting the toes helps them feel the three points. You can put your
toes down and feel the same sensation of balance on the three points. Push
your toes into the floor and notice the sensation in your feet and your legs.
Pushing them down creates tension. Practice without your shoes on so that
you can observe your feet and toes while you practice. During your practice
sessions, wiggle your toes occasionally to make sure that they aren’t tight and
that they’re ready to help you stay balanced. Notice the bones in the toes on
the skeleton in Figure 3-1.
Pretend that you have a tube inside your body that runs all the way from your
head down to your feet. Open this tube all the way into your feet each time
you inhale. Opening this imaginary tube makes you grounded and ready to
sing the next phrase of your song. Each time you inhale, you want to open and
release all the way into your feet. It may feel as if your feet open or widen as
you take the breath.
Flexing your ankles
You want your ankles open and flexible when you’re standing. Sitting in a
chair or standing on one leg, move your foot around to feel the flexibility in
your ankle. If your ankle feels tight, take your time and move it gently back
and forth or in circles to stretch the muscles and release some tension. Move
around the other foot or ankle so both are equally released. After you stretch
both ankles, notice how they feel. They probably feel open and flexible, as if
they can support the weight of your body. Look at Figure 3-1 to see how the
foot and ankle are connected. The ankle isn’t directly over the heel; it’s in
front of the heel. If you pretend to sink into your ankles, you feel as if your
body is heavier, putting pressure on your ankles and feet. If you visualize
a spring (shock absorber) in the ankles, you can feel an opening sensation
in the feet and ankles, as if the weight of the body is equally distributed. Go
back and forth a few times. Sink into your ankles and then put in the imagi-
nary spring. You want to notice the spring not only when you’re standing, but
also when you’re walking.
Engaging your legs
For singing, you want to engage the entire body in making sound. The legs
are your support system, and you want them to hold you up without tighten-
ing. Try the following suggestion to discover how to engage your legs.
To feel the legs engage as you sing, use a plié as you take the breath. Plié
means “to bend,” and you want to bend your knees as you inhale. This bend-
ing helps you feel an opening sensation through your body and down into
your legs. As you sing, you can gradually stand back up from the bend. With
each new breath, plié again to create the opening sensation in your legs and
31
32
Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
NING,
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gradually stand back up. After you practice this way for a few weeks, you'll
be able to sing your song and bend or plié as you inhale. If you visualize that
you're bending, you feel your legs open as you inhale and engage as you sing.
Review the skeleton in Figure 3-1; notice the bones in the legs and also the
shape of the knees.
For singing, you don’t want to lock your knees, or push your knees back.
Locking your knees also locks your lower back, and you want your lower back
to open for inhalation.
Instead, you want to keep your knees released. Released knees aren’t locked —
but they’re also not bent. To find the difference between released knees and
bent knees, stand and lock your knees. Without bending the knees, release
the muscles around them. Lock the knees again, and when you release the
muscles, bend your knees. Move back and forth from the locked position to
the bent position. You want to feel the released position, which is between
locked and bent. Bent knees make you a little shorter. Released knees keep
you the same height, without tight muscles around your knees.
To prevent tension in your knees, you can visualize a spring in your knees or
pretend that you have oil in your knees, like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz,
so that they move smoothly. Try using the visual of the spring to feel the dif-
ference between weight evenly distributed through the legs and feet and sink-
ing your weight into your legs and knees and creating tension.
Releasing your hips
Go back to Figure 3-1 and look at the hips or pelvis. You may think of the hips
as what you try to squeeze into your tight jeans. I want you to visualize the
pelvis and not those extra 10 pounds you gained last winter. If you’re familiar
with the skeleton, you know that I’m talking about moving the pelvis when I
say “rock your hips.”
To find just the right position for your hips, rock back and forward — push
your buttocks back and then push them forward. When you rock the hips
back, you can feel the tension created in your lower back. That tension isn’t
good for singing. Rocking the hips forward helps you feel when they’re too far
forward — you feel like your hips are in front of your torso. Instead, you want
your hips right underneath your torso, with your tailbone tucked under you.
When you’re confident that you can feel when your hips are centered under
you, you can move your hips from left to right. Many people stand with their
hips sticking out to the left or right. That posture may be fine for casual
conversation, but it’s not helpful for singing. When your hips are off to one
side, your back is out of alignment, causing tension. Watching yourself in the
mirror, move your hips from left to right or front to back until you feel the
centered position underneath your torso. This centered position, neither
front, back, right, nor left, is the correct position for singing.
EMBER
D
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Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing
Because most women sink into their hips, you want to understand what it
feels like to lift out of your hips. Lifting out of your hips means that you feel
an opening between your hips and your torso. You can intentionally sink into
your hips to feel the added pressure on your body. You may feel heavier and
slumped when you sink into your hips. To lift out of your hips, feel the spring
or shock absorber between your hips and torso, and imagine your torso
rising out of your legs.
The position of your feet affects your hips. Earlier in this chapter, you may
have read that you want to position your feet under your hipbones and keep
your toes parallel. This position affects not only the muscles in your legs,
but also the muscles in your hips and the positioning of the sit bones. The sit
bones, or sitz bones, are the bony points of your pelvis that you may feel stick-
ing out inside your buttocks. By positioning the hips and toes in just the right
position, you allow the sit bones and hips to stay released and the muscles to
stay open. You then have great posture and easy breathing for singing.
Lengthening your spine
The spine is the marvelous curvy set of bones stacked on top of each other
inside your body. See the skeleton in Figure 3-1 to discover the natural curve
of the spine. Tension in the spine causes tension for breathing. To lengthen
and release the spine, you want to open and lengthen your body from the
inside out. Visualize your spine as long and flexible, and feel the distance
between your tailbone and your skull. For great posture, you want your tail-
bone under you and headed to the floor while your skull lifts to the sky. You
don’t want to feel a pulling sensation in your body; you want an opening and
lengthening sensation. You can visualize space between each bone or ver-
tebrae of your spine. Your spine connects with your rib cage, and you want
your spine to lengthen and open with your rib cage.
Balancing your head and shoulders
At the top of the spine is your neck. The neck is supposed to be curved —
check out the curve of the neck in the skeleton in Figure 3-1. If you remember
the opening and lengthening of the spine from the previous section, you can
continue that idea of lengthening through the neck up into the head so that
the head balances on top of the spine. Think of the bobble-head dolls that
sit on the dash of the car: The body of the dolls doesn’t move, but the head
bobs around. You want your head balanced that easily on top of your spine.
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To feel the weight of your head, allow your head to feel heavy, as if it sits
right on your shoulders. This weight and pressure doesn’t feel good after a
while, so you want to feel an opening up and lifting of the head that comes
from inside the body. Trying to push up the head only causes tension in your
neck. Your head weighs about the same as a bowling ball — it’s pretty heavy,
so it needs some help to stay up.
You can visualize your head balanced on top of your spine. The opposite
of this sensation or visual is the head sinking or pressing down on top of
the spine.
To keep your head balanced on your body, you want your shoulders to be
evenly balanced. Your shoulders sit on top of your rib cage, and their posi-
tion and balance are important. Roll your shoulders forward to feel how it
stretches and curves your back and collapses your chest. Then roll your
shoulders back to feel how it thrusts your chest forward. The correct posi-
tion for your shoulders is neither forward nor back, and pressing neither up
nor down; it’s an even balance.
When you move your shoulders, you can also feel your shoulder blades
moving. If you tighten your shoulder blades, you feel tension in your rib cage.
For good alignment, you want your shoulder blades open and released across
your back; you want the shoulder blades to release downward as you inhale.
To balance the shoulders, you also want to feel the connection between your
arms and your chest. Look at the skeleton in Figure 3-1. Notice the connec-
tion between the arms and shoulders, and see how the shoulders sit on top
of the rib cage.
Releasing Tension
Releasing tension in your body allows for a more open sound and easier breath-
ing. You may notice that I don’t ask you to relax. If you relax, you may fall limply
on the couch to watch your favorite sitcom. For singing, you want your body
aligned but released and free of tension. Releasing means keeping your body
in a state of readiness: ready to move, breathe, and crawl out of your comfort
zone and sing for the world. Think of body movement as fluid motion even
when you're still.
Letting go of tension in your upper body
To release any tension in your arms and hands, you also want to check in
with the areas surrounding the arms and hands.
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Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing
Chest: Check the position of your chest to make sure that it’s open and
lifted, not pushed up.
Shoulders: With your chest in the right position, notice the position of
your shoulders. You want your shoulders centered, neither too far for-
ward nor too far back.
Arms: Tighten your arms and notice what that feels like. When your
arms are tight, you feel tight across your back and perhaps across your
chest. Release the tension in your arms and notice that they feel as if
they opened.
1” Elbows: You may have discovered that when your elbows are tight,
your back and shoulder blades are really tight. All your muscles are
connected and need a balanced relationship to support the body. Your
elbows can also feel like they have a spring in them, similar to the visual
you may have explored with your ankles and knees earlier in the chap-
ter. Your elbows and your body should have distance between them;
you don’t want your elbows to press against your body or push out from
your body.
Hands: The same tension release can apply to your hands. If you tighten
your hands and wrists, you can feel the tension move all the way up
your arms and across your back and chest. When you release the ten-
sion in your hands, you may feel as if they aren’t as heavy as they were
when you tensed the muscles in your hands.
Opening space in the head
Believe it or not, tension in the head and face is pretty common in singers.
You can see tension in the face when the eyebrows lift or the brow furrows.
The facial muscles may also hold tension, even though you may not see the
face wrinkle. Read on for information about how to release both obvious and
invisible tension.
Look in the mirror at your face. Tighten your face so that you can see the
muscles squeezing together. Now release that tension and notice what it
feels like. When the tension releases, your face may feel wider or more open.
Tense and release several more times so you can really feel the difference.
Notice any tension in your forehead from the muscles wanting to either lift or
furrow the brow.
One area that commonly generates tension is the forehead. If you notice
your forehead wrinkling as you sing, stick a piece of clear tape vertically on
your forehead between your eyebrows. You can feel the tape move when you
tighten your forehead. It’s normal for your eyebrows to move as you sing or
speak, but keeping your forehead free of tension is the goal.
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36 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Next, notice any tension in your eyes. Tension in your eyes feels like squint-
ing or a tightness behind your eyes. When the eyes are open and free of ten-
sion, it feels similar to the opening you feel behind your eyes when you see
something that surprises you. Pretend that a friend you haven’t seen in a
long time walks through the door. Notice the opening of your eyes and a feel-
ing of space behind your eyes. The opening or release of tension behind the
eyes also helps the forehead to relax.
Releasing the tension in your head and opening the space involves allowing
the muscles to stay pliable on your head. If you squint or concentrate really
hard for a long time, your head may start to hurt from a tension headache. To
prevent that tension, massage your scalp. See whether you can get the skin
on your head (your scalp) to move around. It might not move much if it’s
tight, but you may get it to move a little by massaging and stretching it. You
can also visualize your head expanding from the inside out.
Look in the mirror again and notice the space around your mouth. When
you’re annoyed or frustrated, the muscles around your mouth may tighten.
To release the tension around your mouth and face, look bored. If you
pretend to be really bored and dull, you’ll feel tension around your
mouth release.
Walking with ease
Maintaining your posture while you walk makes a big difference in your
appearance and your ability to sing while walking or moving. You may actu-
ally have to sing while walking around the stage. Church choirs sing as they
process, and backup singers groove to the music as they dance. What if you
have to cross the stage? You want to look glorious for the entire time that
you’re onstage and not just when you land in place next to the piano.
To maintain your posture while walking, keep your eyes up and look ahead
as you walk. You can still see where you’re going even if you’re not looking at
the ground. You also want to be able to land in correct alignment. When you
have to walk onto the stage for a performance, you want to land in alignment
so you don’t have to adjust your position.
Practice finding your alignment when you’re standing still. Then walk a few
steps and land in place. Did you land in the same alignment? Look down at
your feet to see whether they’re parallel and the same distance as your hip-
bones. If not, try again: Walk around and then land in alignment. Eventually,
you'll confidently land in alignment and know that your body is ready for
some fabulous singing.
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Chapter 3: Aligning Your Body for Great Singing
You also want to practice walking with an awareness of the weight and pres-
sure on your legs. You want to feel the sensation that your weight is evenly
distributed on your legs and feet and have a sense of buoyancy. Feeling your
weight sink into your legs makes you feel much heavier. Pushing into the
floor or pavement causes you to feel pressure and tension in your legs. Of
course, you want to connect your feet to the floor, but you want to feel an
opening sensation, as if your feet touching the floor causes your legs and
muscles to open — not contract and tense. Try walking and pushing into
the floor, and then walking and visualizing your body with springs that open
when your feet connect with the floor.
Projecting confidence through posture
Projecting confidence onstage is important because you want to feel good
about your performance and you want the audience to be comfortable
watching you perform. Audiences are usually apprehensive about perform-
ers who project fear. Luckily, that’s not a crime, or I would’ve been shot
by a firing squad as a young singer. Projecting confidence involves finding
your correct posture and maintaining it throughout a performance. If you
maintain that posture and a calm expression even if you forget the words to
your song, many people probably won’t even notice. I’ve seen it many times:
The performer is onstage making up the words, but he looks as terrific as
if he’d intended to sing those words. By maintaining poise and posture, the
performer projects to the audience that everything is fine and assures them
that they needn’t worry, as if to say, “Ill get back to the original words in a
moment.” The performer also walks away feeling good because he stuck to a
basic singing rule: Good posture enhances good singing.
To explore how correct posture exudes confidence, pretend that you’re a
king or queen. Strut like you own the place. Notice your posture. Now pre-
tend that you’re really sick and that your whole body aches. Doesn’t a ruler
move differently than someone who is ill? It’s possible for a king or queen
to be ill, but not in this scenario. A king walks tall, carries himself with great
dignity and grace, and glides around the room. A sickly person can barely
stand, much less project confidence. In this scenario, which one are you? Are
you the king with a dignified posture, or are you stooped and closed off from
the world? You’re probably somewhere in the middle. Strive to be the king or
queen when you sing.
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38 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Chapter 4
Breathing for Singing
In This Chapter
Getting down to the brass tacks of breath control
Inhaling and expanding your body
Exhaling and extending your breath
Discovering how your body moves while breathing
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H ow you manage your breath when you sing can drastically change the
sound of your singing voice. If you try to hold your breath and sing,
it doesn’t work. You also can’t sing a loud phrase without using some air —
that is, without exhaling. Most people think of exhaling as involving air, not
sound. When you sing, exhaling encompasses both at the same time. Although
breathing is natural — you don’t have to think about it — when you sing,
you need to train your body to breathe in a certain way so that you breathe
efficiently throughout an entire song. You don’t want to run out of breath in
the middle of a word. The exercises in this chapter help you master breath
control so you can sing through all those long phrases in your favorite songs
with ease.
Try not to push yourself too quickly when you’re working on breath. Work
slowly and allow the movements described in this chapter to become habit.
Breathing Basics
When you breathe normally, you automatically make a shallow inhalation
and an even exhalation, followed by a pause before it all starts again — you
don’t even need to think about it. On the other hand, when you sing, you
need to not only inhale quickly and exhale slowly as you sing the phrases of a
song, but also maintain proper posture. (See Chapter 3 for more information
on posture.) Breathing in this manner gives you the breath control you need
to sing efficiently. However, because controlled breathing doesn’t come natu-
rally, you need to train your body to breathe for singing. Keep reading for the
breathing basics.
40 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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The easiest way to find out how to breathe for singing is simply to feel it.
Being able to visualize and feel the proper way to breathe makes the process
more natural for you, too.
Inhalation refers to air moving into your body — breathing in. Exhalation is
blowing out the air. You exhale when you speak or sing.
Inhaling to sing
Singing songs requires getting a full breath quickly — a quick inhalation —
because the orchestra can’t wait five minutes for you to find the air. Knowing
how your body feels when you inhale helps you quickly get air in your body
so you can sing the next phrase. Use the following exercise to explore your
own inhalation and get a feel for how your body needs to move when you
inhale and exhale.
Pretend that you see someone you’re really happy to see. The surprise
breath that you take feels like the air just rushed into your body. You can
also pretend that someone told you something shocking.
You probably just took a really quick breath. Quickly filling your lungs with
air is the way you have to breathe when singing. As you read this chapter,
you discover how to open your body so the breath intake is silent.
When you’re working on breath control, you may find yourself yawning. The
body gets confused with the different amount of air coming in, and you yawn.
My students yawn plenty during lessons and are embarrassed at first. I have
to tell them that it’s okay to yawn when working on breath.
Exhaling to sing
Singing requires you to control your exhalation. You want to have a sus-
tained and smooth exhalation so you can sing those demanding high notes
and long, slow phrases.
To explore exhalation, try this exercise: Take a breath and say “Shhhh,” as if
youre trying to quiet some noisy children. Take another breath, and this time
sustain the “Shhhh” as long as you can. While saying the “Shhhh,” notice what
moves in your body as you exhale. You may feel that your abdomen or ribs
are moving. At the end of the “Shhhh” (exhalation), you should feel the need
to immediately inhale again.
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing
Breathing like a bellows
Attached to your ribs, your lungs are made of
pliable tissue — not muscle. When you inhale,
the muscles between the ribs (intercostals)
move the ribs up and out as the lungs expand
downward. When the intercostal muscles
relax back inward, the lungs move back to their
normal resting position. Another muscle that
moves when you breathe is your diaphragm, a
dome-shaped muscle located underneath your
lungs and attached to the ribs and the spine.
Your diaphragm is actually attached to the rib
cage in the front of your body and the ribs and
spine in the back, and it doesn't descend below
your ribs. When you inhale, the diaphragm
flexes downward and moves back upward as
you exhale. If the diaphragm flexes downward
as you inhale, the organs below your diaphragm
(such as the liver and your stomach) have to
move out of the way. The organs move down
and out, which is why your abdomen moves out
as you inhale. As you exhale, the organs gradu-
ally move back to their normal resting positions.
41
Breathing can be confusing for a singer who’s just starting out, because you
have to pay attention to so many things at one time. Different people who
know something about singing also may tell you about yet another breath-
ing method to use for singing. One friend may say that his teacher wants him
to leave his muscles out — sides, ribs, back — and distended as he sings or
exhales; another friend may tell you that the abdominal muscles must move
in when you exhale. Who do you believe? Both of them.
More than one method of breathing is useful, so you need to explore what
works for you and understand why. You'll likely encounter someone who
claims to know all the answers about breathing, and I want you to be familiar
with your own breathing to understand your options.
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Being an “innie” or an “outie” doesn’t refer to just your belly button — it also
refers to how you breathe. Both methods are valid; you just need to under-
stand how breath works in your body. Here’s more info about each:
1” The innie method focuses on moving the ribs and abdomen in gradually
during exhalation. If you’re exploring breathing for the first time, start
with these exercises.
1” The outie method requires the singer to focus on keeping the ribs or
abdomen out during exhalation.
ay? For many singers, the outie method is helpful because beginners have a hard
time preventing the ribs and abdomen from moving back in too quickly during
exhalation; visualizing the abdomen staying out helps them slowly move back
in. After their abdomen moves back in, some singers squeeze their throat to
continue singing. You can explore the outie method to see whether imagining
your body staying wide during exhalation helps you slow the movement of
your ribs and abdominal muscles and extend your breath.
42 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Posturing yourself for breathing
Breathing efficiently when you sing is a combination of great posture (see
Chapter 3) and skillful inhaling and exhaling. (See the sections “Practicing
Inhalation” and “Practicing Exhalation,” later in this chapter.) Remember the
importance of good posture: It allows you to get a deep, full breath. If you
slouch or you're too rigid, your diaphragm locks and prevents you from get-
ting a correct breath for singing. (See the “Breathing like a bellows” sidebar
in this chapter.) If your breathing and your posture work together as a team,
you can improve your singing.
To sing your best, you want to develop good posture while you breathe.
When your body is aligned correctly, taking and using an efficient breath is
easier.
Your own two hands can help you maintain great posture while breathing.
As you work through the breathing exercises in this chapter, place one
hand on your chest and the other hand on your abs and your sides. As
you inhale, use your hand to feel whether your chest stays steady; you
want it to stay in the same position for both the inhalation and the exhala-
tion. (If your chest rises during inhalation, you create tension in your chest
and neck.) You'll feel your other hand moving out with your abs and sides
as you inhale, and back in toward your body as you exhale.
Practicing Inhalation
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When you sing, you want to be confident that you can take in air and then
use it efficiently to sing your song. Knowing how to open your body for inha-
lation allows you to get the breath in your body skillfully and with little effort.
Inhaling is simple: Open your body, and the air comes rushing in. Read on for
exercises and information to develop skillful inhalation technique.
Inhaling through the nose and the mouth at the same time is ideal for sing-
ing. Taking in air through just the nose isn’t the best idea, because you won’t
be able to do that if you have a cold. If your nose is stuffed up, you’ll be dis-
tracted when singing and your breath will sound very noisy, because you’re
trying to suck air through congested nostrils. Instead, allow air to come in
through your nose and your mouth when you breathe. Getting accustomed to
air coming in through both your nose and your mouth takes some time, but
it’s a worthwhile technique.
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Breathing jargon
If you've had some singing lessons, you may be
confused by all the phrases and terms singers
use to describe breathing. Your voice teacher
or choir director may have said, “Support that
note” or “Sing on breath!” If those commands
make sense to you, congratulations! | always
thought they were confusing, because the word
support can mean so many things.
Support probably became a popular term
for breathing for singing because of the
Italian word appoggio, which means “to
support” or “to lean your body into the
breath.” Supportmeans using your body to
control the breath and sound so your throat
stays free and open.
ı#” Appoggio also implies that singers flex their
body or ribs open as they sing and leave the
body open during exhalation. (This is simi-
lar to the outie method mentioned in the
“Exhaling to sing” section in this chapter.)
Opening your body
Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing
This may sound confusing, but it will make
more sense as your understanding of your
own breathing habits improves with practice.
Singing on breath is what you're supposed
to do all the time. If someone says, “Sing
on the breath,” he’s probably telling you to
connect the breath to the tone or start the
sound by connecting air. You can grunt and
make a sound, but that’s not applying air or
singing on the breath. You can also blow
too much air and make a breathy sound,
which isn't what it means to sing on the
breath. The process in between those two
is what you're looking for.
In the future, ask the person to be more specific
if you're confused by the phrase he uses. But
it's okay if you don’t know every singing cliché.
How can you know them all yet? The singing
world uses just too many.
Taking in air quickly and quietly is one of the goals for singing. To get the air
in quickly, you want to open your body — your back, ribs, sides, and abs.
You can open all these areas at the same time, but explore each area sepa-
rately before trying to activate them all together.
Moving back for inhalation
If you think of your back or spine connected to your ribs, it makes sense that
opening your back helps your breathing. You want to quickly open your back
so air falls into your lungs. Remember that the lungs are connected to the
ribs, so moving the ribs and the back moves the lungs.
Try this suggestion to quickly open your back for an easy inhalation:
1. Assume a huddle position, as if you’re on the football team ready to
hike the ball to the quarterback.
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In the huddle position, you stand and lean forward, with your hands on
your bent knees and your back straight. You don’t have to bend over as
far as the football players — only far enough to allow your back to relax.
2. With your hands on your knees, take a breath and imagine that you
can put the air into your back — as if your lungs are all along your
back and you want to fill them with air.
You may notice that the muscles in your back feel like they’re lifting and
opening for the air to come in the body.
3. Take a few more breaths and notice the sensations of your back opening.
4. When you think you feel your back releasing and opening as you
inhale, try opening your back more quickly.
Open the same muscles along your back without worrying about inhala-
tion. When you open the muscles, the air comes into your body and you
don’t have to worry about inhalation — the inhalation happens because
you're opening the muscles.
You can also squat down and place your hands on your back to feel the
movement of the muscles. If you have a practice buddy, ask her to put her
hands on your back as you try expanding your back. Or you can ask her to
try the same exercise so you can feel how her back moves. Feeling the move-
ment of someone else’s body may help you know what’s happening to yours.
If the huddle position isn’t comfortable, try lying on your back with your
knees bent to feel the opening of your back. Lie on the floor and feel the
opening of your back along the floor as you inhale. Notice the movement of
the upper part of your back and the lower part of your back, all the way down
to your hips.
Flexing the ribs
The rib cage has 12 pairs of ribs. (Yes, men and women have the same
number of ribs.) You can view the skeleton in Chapter 3 to see that the last
two ribs aren’t attached in the front of the rib cage; these ribs are called float-
ing ribs. The first seven pairs of ribs are connected to the sternum, and the
last three ribs are connected to rib #7, to make the curved shape in the front
of the rib cage.
You don’t have to remember the number of ribs, but you want to remember
that the top of your rib cage has more movement from front to back in your
body and that the lower ribs open more laterally, or out to the side of your
body. Knowing how your ribs move, you can visualize the side-to-side open-
ing near the bottom of your ribs to get the most air into your body quickly.
And if you’re a dancer, you want to know how to quickly open the upper ribs
and your back when you’re dancing across the stage.
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing
You may be asked to sing and dance at the same time. Because dancers have
to keep their body moving while singing, they can’t always let their abdomi-
nal muscles release. But dancers can allow the ribs to open when breathing.
If a dancer allows his ribs to open upon inhalation and slowly lets them close
upon exhalation, he doesn’t have to worry so much about letting the abdomi-
nal muscles be loose. When you understand the way the body was designed
to breathe, take it a step farther and practice working with your ribs for danc-
ing while singing.
Move your arms in the following exercise so that you can feel the opening of
your chest and ribs:
1. Raise your arms over your head.
2. Take a breath and feel your ribs open.
Keep your chest stable. You don’t need to raise your chest; merely let it
open. Repeat several times to feel the movement of your ribs.
3. Put your arms down and place your hands on your ribs.
Put your palms against your lower ribs with your thumb facing forward
and fingers pointing to your back. To feel the movement higher in your
rib cage, turn your hand the same way with the thumb facing forward, or
cross your arms so that your right hand is on your left ribs and your left
hand is on your right ribs.
4. With your hands on your ribs, open the ribs slowly to feel the stretch
of the intercostals — the muscles between the ribs.
Repeat several times.
5. Send air to your ribs or flex open your ribs as you inhale.
6. As you sing, allow your ribs to gradually move back in.
If raising your arms over your head isn’t comfortable, you can lie on your
side. Putting your arms above your head is ideal, but you can get the same
sense of movement in the ribs with your arm bent at the elbow or extended
in front of you. Other positions you can try are standing with your arms
extended straight out on each side. Position the arms just slightly behind
your body so your chest is open. In this position, you may especially feel the
opening of the upper ribs. When your arms tire, you can put your hands on
your hips and continue exploring the opening of the ribs. It’s fine to practice
with your hands on your hips to remind you to open your sides and ribs.
When the opening is familiar, you can put your arms down by your side and
find the same opening.
It’s okay if you’re really confused right now or feel short of breath. Feeling
short of breath when you begin working through these exercises is normal.
Be patient, and you'll begin breathing efficiently. Creating a new habit in your
body takes a while, and breathing for singing is definitely new. Your inhalation
was perfect when you were a baby. If you watch infants breathe, you can see
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that they know exactly what to do. As people age and life becomes more com-
plicated, however, stress affects the body. People start to carry unnecessary
tension in various parts of the body, which can prevent correct breathing. The
body gets stressed out. But not in this book — stress busters are on the way!
Stretching the sides
Another area of the body that you can open for inhalation is your sides. For
now, think of your ribs and your sides as separate. The sides are the love
handle area — the area right below your rib cage and above your hips — the
oblique muscles. This area may automatically open when you open the ribs,
but you want to be sure.
Place your hands on your hips and then move them up a couple of inches so
that you feel the indentation just above the top of the hipbone.
Pretend that your lungs are on your sides and inhale, to help open that area.
You may also be able to open this area by placing your hands on your sides,
exhaling, and then opening your hands. You may need to provide a little
resistance with your hands so you can figure out how to open those muscles.
Your sides are a great place to notice exertion in the body. When you cough,
you may feel your abs move in and your sides expand. The movement for
singing is similar but happens more slowly. The sides also engage when you
sing loudly. For now, be aware of how your sides move; later, you can move
your sides when you need an exertion of energy to sing loudly.
Singing with a clear tone doesn’t use as much air as singing with a breathy
tone. See Chapter 6 for more information on singing with clear tone. You can
sing with a breathy tone on purpose, but it requires a lot more air and it’s
more difficult for a microphone to amplify a fuzzy tone.
Releasing the abs
Many singing teachers feel strongly about the movement of the abdominal
muscles (abs) and singing. You may have been told to control your abs to
control your exhalation. That idea is a good one, but you also want to control
the other muscles in your torso, because the abs aren’t the only muscles that
control exhalation.
To feel the release of the abs with inhalation, get down on your hands and
knees. You can get something soft to put under your knees if this isn’t the
most comfortable position for you. Exhale and notice the movement of your
abs. You probably feel them moving in, and that’s great. Notice how they
move when you inhale. If you feel them dropping down with gravity, you’re
on the right track. If you don’t feel them drop, you may be trying too hard to
move your chest to breathe. Allow your chest to remain steady and try again.
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Taking in too much air is called overbreathing, which can cause adverse ten-
sion in the body. When you get used to breathing for singing, you can judge
how much air you need to take in for each phrase.
The following exercise enables you the opportunity to let breath fall into
your body, releasing the abs.
1. Exhale.
As you exhale, your abs move in.
2. Hold your breath and silently count to ten.
Don’t inhale while you’re counting to ten.
3. After counting to ten, inhale.
Most likely, you need the breath so badly that it just falls right into your
body, and your abs release and drop.
4. Notice the movement of your body as the air comes rushing in.
Your throat opens and your abs release so the air can drop in.
After expelling all your air on a long musical phrase, let that air that you need
just drop into your lungs by opening your body.
Breathing, slow and steady
The goal for inhalation is to open the body quickly so the air drops in quietly.
If your muscles don’t know how to open quickly, you can slow down with this
exercise and find how to open the muscles.
When you were a kid, your mom probably told you not to suck air through
your straw, right? It makes that horrible slurping noise after all the liquid is
drained from your glass. Now you need a dry straw that doesn’t have any left-
over milkshake stuck inside. Breathing through a straw helps the air that you
breathe drop into your body, making it easy to feel your body expand as you
breathe. You also can’t gasp or suck in air too quickly with a straw.
1. Find a straw and cut it down to 3 inches.
2. Insert one end of the straw into your mouth.
3. Breathe through the straw, making sure that you don’t raise your
chest or shoulders, and notice how your body opens as the air drops
into your lungs.
4. Inhale for three slow counts and exhale for three slow counts.
Repeat this step five times. Remember to keep your alignment. Chapter 3
has tips for great alignment.
48 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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5. Inhale for four slow counts and exhale for four slow counts.
As you inhale, notice what’s moving in your body. You want your ribs to
open, your sides and back to expand, and your abs to release and drop.
If the motion is still unsteady, keep practicing until you really feel the
movement in your body. It may take a couple of weeks to feel the move-
ment enough that it becomes familiar.
Catching a quick breath
Your song may have a long phrase and then a very short rest to catch a
breath. The struggle is to get in enough air in a short time. To understand
how to catch a quick breath in your song, you want to know how to quickly
open your muscles. If you opened the muscles slowly in the preceding exer-
cise, you may be ready to open them quickly. Try this exercise to explore a
catch breath.
Get yourself slightly winded by running in place, dancing around, or doing
any other movement that gets you moving. When you start to breathe faster
and get winded, stand and sing part of your song. Your body really wants to
inhale. When you finally take a breath, notice how the breath drops quickly
into your body. Most people describe the sensation of the body opening
quickly to get air in. It’s different from pulling in air or gasping. With a gasp,
your throat is tight and you’re pulling or sucking in air. Opening the body
(including your throat) helps you make a quick and quiet inhalation.
Although inhaling may be natural for everyone, you need to practice the cor-
rect way to inhale while maintaining correct posture, in order to breathe
your best while singing. Correct inhalation means keeping yourself properly
aligned, with your body free of tension, your throat open, and your shoulders
steady to allow the most air to fall into your body. Try the following to feel the
difference between incorrect and correct inhalation:
If you gasp, you can feel a tight sensation in your throat as you try to
squeeze air in while your vocal cords are closed. However, if you pre-
tend that you’re hiding and don’t want anyone to hear you breathing,
you leave your throat open and can take in plenty of air.
If you inhale and intentionally raise your shoulders or chest, you can
feel that, as your shoulders rise, your neck gets tense. However, if you
keep your shoulders and chest steady and inhale, you get more air into
your body.
It’s tempting to push down the tongue as you inhale. You may feel like push-
ing down the tongue helps you get the air in faster, but it doesn’t. To help
release any tension in your tongue as you inhale, release the tongue forward.
Your tongue then moves forward, or toward your teeth, as you inhale instead
of pushing back or pressing down. Compare the two. Push down your tongue
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing
as you inhale, and then try releasing your tongue forward as you inhale. You
may find that the release forward helps you get the air in quickly and has your
tongue released to start the first note.
Inhaling properly should now be fairly easy for you. Singing “Happy Birthday”
tests your ability to inhale correctly and then sing a song. Before you start
the song, feel the breath moving into your body. When you’re in the groove,
go for it.
1. Sing all the way through the song “Happy Birthday.”
2. Take a deep breath and sing the first phrase again.
3. Pause.
Before you sing the second phrase, remember all that you recently dis-
covered about inhalation. Take your time and find the correct way to
take in that breath. You don’t have to rush.
4. Calmly take the breath back in.
5. Take the time to find the correct motion of the breath and then sing
the next phrase.
6. Repeat this series of steps until you finish the song.
Remember to get the breath right instead of rushing to the next phrase
or gasping for air.
Each time you try this exercise, it gets easier. Try it the next time you sing a
new song to coordinate your breathing properly.
You're not alone if you feel like you can’t remember how to breathe. Your
body gets confused putting all this information into practice, so just work on
the inhalation until it’s easy for you; then move on to another exercise. Go
back and reread the explanation about how the breath works in the body, and
then try some of the exercises again. You may find that they’re easier now that
you can picture the movement of the air as well as feel it.
Practicing Exhalation
When you sing and exhale, remember not to collapse your body too quickly.
Keep the same aligned position that you had for your inhalation: Keep your
chest steady, and have your abdomen and ribs gradually move inward as you
release the breath. When you aren’t singing or speaking, and as you go about
your everyday business, you normally exhale much more quickly than you
should when you sing. When you sing, however, you have to inhale quickly
and extend the flow of air over a longer period of time. It takes practice to be
able to sing a long phrase without stopping in the middle to breathe. Practice
a steady, controlled exhalation while maintaining good posture.
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Blowing in the wind
This exercise helps you develop the control needed when you sing a long
phrase of music. The object of the exercise is to make a candle flame flicker
by exhaling and not blasting hot wax onto your hand! Make sure that you
exhale with a steady, slow stream of air — just enough to bend the flame. If
you don’t have a candle handy, you can blow air across the top of a hot cup
of cocoa or tea, or just use your imagination. You can work this exercise with
your imagination, or you can actually light a candle.
Please be careful with the candle if you use a real one. Hold or set down the
candle in a holder that’s at least 8 inches from your mouth so you don’t burn
your eyebrows.
Follow these steps:
1. Light a candle and hold it 8 inches from your face.
2. Take a deep breath, keeping your shoulders and your chest nice
and steady.
3. As you exhale, blow gently on the flame to make it bend but not
flicker wildly.
4. Continue the steady stream of air to keep the flame bent, counting
silently to see how long you can bend the flame.
Be careful that your body doesn’t collapse quickly as you exhale during this
exercise. Instead, feel a steady movement in your body during the exhalation.
If you can bend the flame for the count of five the first time, try to make it to
six the next time. Bend the flame for six counts several times in a row before
you try for seven. Each time, make sure that you notice what’s happening in
your body.
Trilling for exhalation
A lip trill is an itchy exercise, but it’s great for feeling the movement of the
exhalation. The vibrations of your lips may make your nose itch after a few
minutes. No problem — scratch your nose and keep going. What’s a lip trill?
Ever see a horse blowing air through his lips? The horse’s lips flap in the
breeze. This may seem silly, but it’s a great test of your exhaling endurance.
Take a breath, and send the breath between your lips and let them vibrate. If
your lips don’t vibrate like Mr. Ed’s, it’s probably because they’re too tight.
Loosen your lips and just let them hang free as you blow air between them
this time. If your lips are tight, place a finger at the corners of your mouth
and gently push the corners toward your nose as you do the lip trill.
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing 5 ]
1. Practice trilling your lips.
2. When you have the lip trill moving easily, start counting silently.
3. Sustain the lip trill for four counts; inhale slowly for four counts and
repeat the cycle.
Make sure that you take a good breath before you begin. As you count to
four, notice what moves in your body as you exhale. Try not to collapse
your chest as you exhale; let your lower body do the work.
4. Sustain the lip trill for four counts again, but this time, inhale for two
counts and repeat the cycle.
5. Sustain the lip trill for longer periods of time as your endurance
improves.
Lip trill for six counts and inhale for two counts. When you can easily do
the lip trill several times in a row, increase the number by two counts
ip trill for eight counts, inhale for two counts, and so on). The object of
the exercise isn’t to count to 50, but to work the endurance of the breath
and make sure that the body is working properly as you exhale.
6. As your skill increases, vary the lip trill count.
Notice how your body changes on a two-count trill compared to an
eight-count trill. It adjusts by moving more slowly on the eight counts.
This variation happens in songs — you have short phrases followed by
long phrases, and you have to adjust your breath control for the phrase.
When the lip trill is a piece of cake for you, add a tune: Lip trill a song. You
can easily lip trill “Happy Birthday.” Let each note connect to the other with-
out a pause and without pushing your tongue against your teeth for each
note. In other words, make it legato (smooth and connected).
To practice more lip trills, check out Figure 4-1.
1. Sing through the lip trill pattern in Figure 4-1.
2. Play the track again, and this time, try a tongue trill.
Many people find that they can make good sounds with a tongue trill.
The tongue trill works like the lip trill. Leave your tongue loose in your
mouth and blow air between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
Make sure that your tongue is released or this won’t work. As the air
moves over the tongue, the tip of the tongue raises and vibrates against
the roof of your mouth.
3. Play the track for a third time, alternating between doing the tongue
trill and singing on the given notes.
You can easily go right from the tongue trill to a vowel. For example,
sing the first two notes on the tongue trill and the last two notes on ah.
Make a smooth transition from the tongue trill to the ah. See whether
your airflow remains the same.
52 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Figure 4-1:
Lip and
tongue trills.
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1. Lip trill Br
2. Tongue trill Tr
3. Tongue trill to "ah" Tr ah
Recognizing resistance and
suspending the breath
Earlier in this chapter, I tell you about breathing basics. Singers often think
that they can control their diaphragm movement and achieve great breath
control. What most people don’t know is that the diaphragm is passive
during exhalation. Your diaphragm moves down as you inhale and as your
lungs expand to fill with air, but the diaphragm isn’t active when you exhale.
You control exhalation by controlling all the muscles that affect the move-
ment of the lungs — the muscles between the ribs (intercostals), the muscles
on your sides (obliques) and your back, and your abs. Knowing how to con-
trol the movement of these muscles controls your exhalation and allows you
to sing long phrases.
Because your body is used to opening for the inhalation and then a quick
exhalation, you have to resist the normal movement of your body when you’re
singing. This resistance is a good thing. Think of resistance as a slow move-
ment of the body back in for exhalation, or a friendly resistance to keep the
body from collapsing.
One way to explore exhalation and resistance is to suspend the breath. If
the normal movement of your body is to take a breath and gradually exhale,
or allow the body to move back to its resting position, I want you to explore
taking a breath and then waiting before you exhale. It feels like your body
is suspended in motion: You’re ready to exhale, but the muscles just aren’t
moving yet. This feeling of suspension is what I mean by resistance. Your
body wants to close, but you aren’t allowing it to collapse just yet. Resistance
doesn’t involve tension; it’s more like hesitation. Notice the feeling of your
body staying open as you take the breath and then wait. You can practice
suspending for three or four counts and then gradually exhale. The goal isn’t
to figure out how to suspend for long periods of time, but to understand the
sensation of the body resisting the normal urge to close after an inhalation.
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing 53
Try this sequence to develop your ability to suspend the muscles of exhalation:
1. Breathe in for three counts.
2. Suspend for three counts.
As you suspend, pay attention to the sensations in your body. Your
body wants to close, but you make the choice to suspend and stay open.
3. Exhale for three counts.
4. Gradually move the exhalation number higher.
Breathe for three counts, suspend for three counts, and exhale for four
counts. Notice how your body adjusts to the slower exhalation.
You can exhale in one count or in ten counts, and the body adjusts the move-
ment of the muscles. For today, I recommend that you try the sequence with
three counts for each step. Tomorrow you can move the exhalation up to
four counts, and the next day move the exhalation to five counts. Explore
this exercise slowly to develop control over the muscles. Moving too quickly
doesn’t allow you to explore the sensations of adjustment in your body as
the exhalation gets longer. The next section in the chapter has more exer-
cises that explore longer exhalation.
Testing Vour Breath Control
If you’ve been working on the exercises in this chapter, you’ve probably
explored your inhalation and exhalation enough to know what’s moving and
grooving as you breathe and sing.
Athletes know that they have to train consistently to teach the muscles in
their body to respond exactly the way they want. Gaining coordination of
the muscles that control breathing takes time and consistent practice. Some
people call it developing muscle memory. Over time, the muscles remember
how to move and you don’t have to think about it. You want this to happen
for breathing and singing: You want to practice the breathing exercises
enough that you can rely on them to work efficiently so you can focus on the
story you're telling.
Athletes also know that working out and doing physical conditioning is cru-
cial to develop the ability to transport oxygen quickly throughout the body.
When you're singing, you’re moving a lot of air and your body needs to be in
good shape so you can handle the endurance required to sing for an entire
performance. You don’t have to be thin, but you have to be in good shape.
Your workout at the gym also helps your breathing for singing.
54h Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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Pushing yourself just a little beyond your comfort zone helps you develop
stamina and endurance. Your muscles may feel warm or tired after you work
on the breathing exercises, which is perfectly normal. Extreme fatigue is a
sign that something isn’t right in your practice session, but it’s normal to feel
tired and need to rest for a time before you can practice more.
To give yourself an opportunity to work on more advanced breathing exer-
cises, keep reading and working through the exercises. They aren’t too
advanced for you, especially if you’ve been exploring other exercises and are
comfortable with what moves as you breathe.
If you’re new to singing, moving too quickly to the advanced exercises without
practicing the basics doesn’t give you an opportunity to make the movement
a habit. It took some time for me to make correct breathing a habit, but now
I don’t have to worry about changing gears when it’s time to sing. I breathe
in the same manner when I sing as when I speak, because the movement has
become so natural for me.
Releasing abs and then ribs
Because your lungs are housed within your rib cage, allowing the ribs to
open as you inhale and letting them stay open as you exhale is beneficial.
This is also known as outie breathing, or appoggio (that’s Italian for “support
or “lean”). Don’t force your ribs to stay open, but allow them to stay open.
Even if the words force and allow seem similar, they’re different. Forcing
the ribs to stay open results in pressure being put on your body and a tight
sound.
”
When you’ve been working with breath for some time and you can easily
manage quick, efficient inhalation and have some control over longer exhala-
tion, try the exercise that follows.
1. Practice flexing open your ribs.
Stand in front of the mirror and try to open your rib cage. You want to
open your ribs on the side of your body, not raise your chest. Watch the
movement in your body to make sure that you’re not lifting your chest.
It may take a few tries before you can figure out how to open the ribs.
When you know how to move them, allow the ribs to open as you inhale.
The area that you’re trying to move is at the bottom of the rib cage.
2. Inhale and open your ribs.
Practice inhaling and allow your ribs to open. If you aim the air at the
lowest rib, you can open the ribs without forcing your chest to rise.
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Chapter 4: Breathing for Singing 55
3. Work for a time just allowing your ribs to open when you inhale and
to close as you exhale.
As this becomes easier, allow the ribs to stay open longer on the
exhalation.
4. Inhale and allow your ribs to open.
Leave the ribs open as you exhale. Take the next breath and allow your
abdominal muscles to expand.
5. Now that your ribs are open and your abdominal muscles are
expanded, exhale.
As you exhale, allow the abs to move in as the ribs stay out.
6. As you reach the end of your breath, allow the ribs to gradually close
or collapse back to their normal position.
The long-term goal of this exercise is to provide you with the option of open-
ing the ribs as you inhale and letting them close by choice, depending on
the length of the phrase you’re singing. I keep my ribs open if I have to sing a
long phrase. This motion may take a month or more to master. Keep trying.
Singing slowly
Earlier in this chapter, I suggest simple tunes, such as “Happy Birthday,” so
that you can easily concentrate on many details at one time. However, it may
be time for you to try a tougher song. Think of a song that gives you trouble
when it comes to managing the long phrases. It can be a hymn or familiar
tune in which you just can’t quite conquer the phrases. Some familiar tunes
with long phrases are “Danny Boy”; “Come Unto Him” from The Messiah;
and “Over the Rainbow.” Sing through the song to refresh your memory of
the words and the tune. When you're ready, sing through the song at a slow
pace. You want to sing more slowly so you extend your exhalation. By singing
more slowly, you have to figure out how to extend your breath over a longer
period of time. Singing faster songs with short phrases doesn’t require a long
exhalation, and it doesn’t require that you control your exhalation over
long phrases.
Practice the exercise that follows to move on to the next level of breath con-
trol so that you can manage your breath easily during longer phrases.
1. Sing the song slowly.
If you’ve chosen a long song, sing through part of it. If you’ve chosen a
shorter song, sing it all the way through.
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Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
2. Sing through each phrase with a consistent exhalation for a smooth,
connected line.
Make sure that you inhale slowly before the beginning of each phrase.
3. Sing through the song again slowly, but inhale quickly, while taking in
the same amount of air that you did when you were inhaling slowly.
ANG?
PA Be careful not to gasp when you’re singing through this exercise; open your
throat and allow the air to come in. Gasping prevents you from getting the air
in quick enough.
In exhaling, your ribs and abs must be moving in. Then try letting the abs
move while the ribs stay open.
anne! Gaining weight or losing weight quickly can totally confuse your body. If your
D body is used to moving a certain amount of weight around, it affects your
breathing. You have to slowly get used to your body being a different size
after the weight change, especially if you’ve gained weight. Take your time
when you lose weight to allow your body to slowly adjust.
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Chapter 5
Toning Up the Voice
In This Chapter
Changing the tone of your voice
Discovering your larynx and vocal cords
Exercising to improve your tone
n this chapter, you discover what to release to help you create that gor-
geous tone — and even find a little vibrato (the variation of a sustained
pitch) along the way. I also include some helpful exercises for those of you
who are fone deaf (not able to accurately distinguish between differences in
pitch). Relax. By the time you finish this chapter, you'll be better at not only
controlling your singing voice, but also locating some fun body parts to brag
about at your next family gathering. “Hey, wanna feel my larynx?”
Defining Tone
If you turned on the radio, would you recognize your favorite singer? Elvis,
Toby Keith, Ethel Merman, Maxwell, Luciano Pavarotti, or Lady Gaga? You
probably would. How? If you answered, “By their voices,” you’re partly right.
More specifically, you recognized your favorite singer by the tone of voice.
Tone is what’s known as the color or timbre of your singing voice. Every voice
has a specific color, which can be described as warm, dark, or strident. Two
singers singing the same song in the same key may sound different — the
reason is tone.
Creating unique tone
A lot of people just open their mouth to sing and produce wonderful-sounding
tone. Others have to work to create beautiful tone. The tone of your voice is
unique to you, but if it’s tight and pressed, you may need to work on the exer-
cises in this book to help you create great tone. You also want to make sure
that the tone of your voice matches the style of music you're singing. If you’ve
ever heard opera singers try to sing pop music, you know that they sound
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58 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
funny — their tone is too full and rich when it needs to be more casual. Check
out Chapter 2 for more information on the sounds different voice types make
in different styles of music, and read Chapter 7 for more information about
creating a resonant singing voice and understanding the differences in reso-
nance among various styles of music.
Identifying factors that affect tone
The shape and size of your body and your body coordination partly deter-
mine your tone. In addition, your tone changes with your moods or emotions.
Check out the following list for factors that affect tone:
Body coordination: Coordinating the muscles in the body is important
for creating lovely tone for singing. That coordination includes breath
coordination, alignment, and articulation. You can read about breath
coordination in Chapter 4 and alignment in Chapter 3. Chapter 8 outlines
articulation of vowels, and Chapter 9 covers articulation of consonants.
Check out the other chapters in the book so your entire body is ready to
help you make great sounds.
Emotions: Your emotions directly affect the tone of voice. You know
when someone is happy or sad by the tone of voice. When you’re acting,
you want to tap into your emotions so that the tone of your voice
reflects the story you're telling. Of course, it’s also possible to go over-
board and let the emotions overtake you. If you go too far emotionally,
you end up crying and won’t be able to sing your song. Or maybe you’ll
be so angry that you tense up and can’t sing well. Using your emotions
is good, but allowing emotions to overtake you isn’t good. Work on the
exercises in the book to develop your technique. When your technical
skill is solid, you’ll be able to maintain your technique even during the
more emotional sections of your song.
Shape and size of your head and throat: If your mouth and throat are
small, you have smaller vocal cords and probably a higher voice type.
Singers with large mouths and heads tend to have bigger voices and can
make bigger sounds.
Size of your body: Singers with a big, round chest tend to have a large
lung capacity for nailing those high notes. You don’t need to have a big
body to sing well, though — good singers come in all shapes and sizes.
1#” Space: The amount of space you open for tone to resonate is a key ele-
ment in the tone of your voice. If the space is tight, the tone is tight. If
the space is open, the tone has room to resonate. You can read more
later in the chapter about opening the space in the mouth and throat.
Tension: Even body parts far from your singing voice need to be free of
tension to keep the tone of the voice free.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice
Considering tone, pitches, and notes
Whether you sing just for fun or you dream of performing professionally,
you can count on frequently encountering three terms: pitch, note, and tone.
These three terms are often incorrectly used interchangeably, but under-
standing their true relationship to one another may make your journey
through the world of singing less confusing.
Pitch is the high or low frequency of a sound. When you sing, you
create pitch because your vocal cords vibrate at a certain speed. As an
example, a foghorn emits a low frequency or pitch, whereas the sound
your smoke detector emits when you press the test button is a high
frequency or pitch. In singing, when your vocal cords vibrate at a faster
speed, you sing a higher pitch than when they vibrate more slowly. The
A just above Middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second — your vocal
cords open and close 440 times per second.
Notes are musical symbols that indicate the location of a pitch.
Tone is the color or timbre of pitch. Tone can be described by many dif-
ferent words, including warm, dark, brilliant, ringing, rich, lush, shrill, and
strident. An example of a singer with a warm tone is Karen Carpenter;
someone with a strident tone is Eddie Murphy playing the role of the
Donkey in the Shrek movies.
Based on these definitions, it makes more sense to say that someone is
pitch deaf rather than tone deaf. You may also hear singers say that they’re
afraid to sing high notes when they should say that they’re afraid to sing high
pitches. Although knowing the exact definition of these terms is good, I doubt
that anyone will correct you if you mix up the words fone and pitch.
Flexing Your Singing Muscles
Within your head and neck, groups of muscles help create tone. At the same
time, the brain sends a message to the muscles that create your singing voice:
The air in your lungs begins moving out and the vocal cords move into posi-
tion to create the pitch. The color of the pitch is the tone. Does it seem compli-
cated? Well, it isn’t — this is exactly what happens every time you speak.
To change the tone, you change the space in your mouth and throat, your pos-
ture, and the amount of breath moving as you sing. The exercises in Chapter 6
help you create the right tone and adjust the space in your mouth and throat
so that you can change your tone and make your voice sound great.
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60 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Discovering your own bands
Many different parts of your body influence how you sing, but understand-
ing how they all work together to produce the best sound is the key to great
singing. Chapters 3 and 4 are devoted to the big anatomical influences, such
as breathing and posture, but knowing where those tiny little bands of tissue
called vocal cords — your muscles for singing — are located and how they
make tone is just as important. When developing good vocal technique, you
need to understand how your breath, posture, and tension affect the way
your vocal cords work.
Your vocal cords are inside your larynx (pronounced lar-inks, not lar-nicks),
which is the source of your singing voice. Your vocal cords are two small
bands of tissue stretching across your larynx that vibrate to create pitch.
Your vocal cords coordinate with your breath to release a pitch by opening
and closing (vibrating) as air (your breath) passes through. Each vibration is
called a cycle of vibration or glottal cycle. If you’re singing the same note that
an orchestra plays to tune the instruments, your vocal cords are vibrating
at 440 cycles per second — yes, that fast. To make those fast vibrations, you
need to keep your breath flowing; otherwise, you run out of air and won’t be
able to sustain the tone. (See Chapter 4 to discover techniques for improving
your breathing.)
Making the first sound
You already can make singing sounds — you just may not realize it. Working
through the sounds in the following steps can start you on the road to sing-
ing. Making these sounds helps you discover how to make tension-free
sounds that explore your entire singing range.
Make the following sounds:
1. Try sighing — a nice, long sigh.
A sigh is that sound you make as you feel the warmth of the whirlpool
or the relaxation of your body as someone massages your shoulders. As
you sigh, make the sound as long as possible. Start higher and gradually
slide lower.
2. Imitate a siren.
Slide up and down or around in circles a few times, exploring high and
low pitches. Those pitches in the siren are the same pitches you sing in
the exercises later in the book.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice
3. Whoop with joy.
Another way to explore the first sounds is to use your imagination.
Pretend that someone just told you that you won the lottery. Rather
than screaming, try whooping with joy.
Dropping the jaw
When you sing, you have to drop your jaw much farther than you do in every-
day conversation and you have to open your mouth and throat much wider.
If you don’t drop your jaw and open your mouth, the sound gets trapped
inside your mouth and can’t make it past the first row of the audience.
Your neck and jaw need to be free of tension and ready to move. If they aren't,
check out the exercise in the “Checking for neck or jaw tension” section, later
in this chapter, to release tension from your neck and jaw.
To properly open the throat and mouth for singing, you need to feel around
a bit first. Place your finger on your chin and trace your jaw line back to your
ear. At the back of the jaw, you can feel a curve under your ear. This is the
area that I want you to focus on when you drop your jaw. Instead of trying to
drop your chin, I want you to drop it from the area right underneath your ear.
The back space gives the tone room to resonate.
Practice dropping the jaw to discover how to open the space in the back of
the mouth — called the back space — and space in the throat; dropping just
the chin doesn’t open the back space. To practice dropping the jaw, follow
these steps:
1. Massage all the muscles around your face to make sure that they’re
free of tension and ready to open.
2. Try yawning and dropping your jaw at the same time.
Remember, you want to drop the jaw, not just move the chin down. Your
chin does move, but you want to open the space in the back by your ear
(back space), not just the front (front space).
3. Yawn inside your mouth and throat without opening your lips.
To do this, pretend that you’re at a boring dinner party and you don’t
want the hostess to see you yawning. You feel an opening sensation
inside your mouth and throat when you’re starting to yawn. At the
beginning of the yawn, you can feel the muscles stretching and opening.
By the end of the yawn, the muscles are tight from the huge stretch. You
want to remember the beginning of yawn, when the muscles are open-
ing, not the tense phase at the end of the yawn.
61
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62 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Finding front space
To understand the difference between back When you open your lips, notice what that
space and front space, first find the front space. opening feels like inside your mouth.
Open the front space, or only the front of your :
mouth, by following these steps: 2. Open your front teeth really wide.
1. Open your lips really wide, as if the cor- Rover ite serisenons iiyoue moa
ners of your mouth are moving out toward
your ears.
Putting your larynx into position
Throughout this book, you explore different sounds that you can make with
your singing voice. Knowing where the larynx rests in your throat makes it
easier for you to tell whether your larynx is too high or too low. If it’s too
high, I tell you how to drop it.
Finding your larynx
Because the position of the larynx affects the tone, you want to know where
your larynx is. The larynx can move up or down. A low larynx helps create a
full, open sound. Raising the larynx too high creates a tighter and more stri-
dent sound.
Place your fingers on the middle of your throat underneath your chin. Now
swallow. As you swallow, you can feel something move up and then down.
That’s your larynx.
The bump in the middle of the larynx is called the Adam’s apple. Because men
usually have a larger, more pointed larynx than women, guys can feel their
Adam’s apple more easily.
Keep your fingers on your throat and yawn. Feel that? The larynx went way
down. When you sing, you want the larynx to be in the middle of your neck,
(a neutral position) or lower. A low larynx helps create a nice, full, open
sound for classical music. The larynx in a neutral position is closer to what
happens when you belt. (See Chapter 13 for more info on belting.) Raising the
larynx too high creates a tight or squeezed sound. Some teachers talk about
a raised larynx for belting. If you drop the larynx low for classical singing, the
position of the larynx is higher for belting. I prefer to call it a neutral position
because thinking of a raised larynx may encourage you to push up or press
to raise your larynx.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice 63
You want to release the larynx on the inhalation so that it opens. Not releas-
ing the larynx upon inhalation can cause fatigue, because the muscles in the
larynx are always in action when you're singing. Those muscles need a rest
between phrases. See Chapter 4 on breathing for information on dropping the
larynx when you inhale.
With your finger on the middle of your throat, hum a few bars of your favorite
song. The buzzing sensation that you feel is your vocal cords vibrating and
creating tone. Awesome! You may feel that buzzing sensation in your lips or
around your nose. You can even feel the vibrations on the crown of your head.
Because you can’t see your voice, feeling the vibrations of sound is important.
Your singing voice makes vibrations that you can feel in your body and hear
resounding in the room. Trusting the feeling of good technique is important,
because each room that you sing in has different acoustics. To monitor your
tone, learn to feel the vibrations instead of relying on reverb.
Dropping your larynx
Nonsingers usually have a high-resting larynx. That’s because most of the
muscles in the neck are designed to keep the larynx high — which isn’t what
you want for singing. You have to figure out how to keep the larynx in a lower
or more neutral position in your throat for singing.
To drop your larynx, you can use the beginning of the yawn, as you did in
the earlier section, “Dropping the jaw.” Avoid intentionally pushing down the
back of your tongue, as most people do when first trying to drop the larynx: If
you push your tongue down, you also feel the larynx push down and you feel
a tightening of the muscles under your chin. This tight sensation isn’t what
you want for singing. It may take you a while to feel the difference between
pushing down and dropping. The correct sensation is to feel your tongue
moving forward and stretching the space between the parts of the larynx so
that the bottom part of the larynx drops. You can also try the following sug-
gestions to drop the larynx without pushing the tongue:
Smell something yummy. Inhale slowly as you smell something posi-
tively wonderful. When you smell something yummy — or even pretend
to — your throat opens and your larynx drops. Try smelling something
yummy a few times and just notice what you feel. After a few tries, smell
something yummy again and put your hand on your throat to notice
whether your larynx dropped.
Open the space behind your tongue. If you release your tongue for-
ward, inhale, and pretend that the space behind the tongue opens — or
the space between your tongue and the back wall of your throat — you
may feel your larynx drop. Releasing or opening the back wall of the
throat while releasing the tongue forward helps you drop your larynx.
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64 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
Now, how do you keep the larynx dropped when you make sound? Good
question — and it takes some practice for you to maintain the lower position
of your larynx. Remember, the larynx is designed to ride high in your throat,
but you want it to lower for singing classical music or at least stay in a neu-
tral position for singing more contemporary music. Try the following sugges-
tions to drop your larynx and leave it there while you make sound:
Drop and breathe. When you feel the dropping sensation of the larynx,
just breathe in and out (inhale and exhale) and leave the larynx in the
low position. It may take a few days of experimenting before you can
keep it steady while you breathe. When you can keep it steady while
breathing, try the next suggestion.
Drop and make sound. Say “ah” on a low note. Notice whether the
larynx stays in the same place when you say “ah.” Make the same sound
several more times so you can really feel what’s happening. If the larynx
bounced up when you said “ah,” try again. Release the larynx down and
say the “ah” again. It seems simple, but it may take a couple of days of
experimenting before you can make sound without the larynx jump-
ing up. Remember to make a sound low in your range; trying to make
a sound too high in your range is hard for a novice. It took me several
days to learn to keep my larynx steady when I made sound. When you’re
confident that your larynx can stay steady with the “ah” sound, try the
next suggestion.
Drop and slide around on pitch. Drop the larynx, say “ah,” and slide
around a little bit in pitch, almost like you’re saying “ah-hah.” This
sound is the one you make when you finally understand what someone
told you. Keep exploring the “ah-hah” or sliding around on pitch before
moving on to the next suggestion.
Drop and sing. When you can keep the larynx steady while breathing
or making simple sounds, try singing. Sing a simple two-note pattern or
three-note pattern similar to what you see in Figure 3-1. Use this pat-
tern, but sing it low in your range. When you’re confident that the larynx
stays steady, you can gradually sing higher.
Keep the larynx steady as you sing by visualizing the space in your throat
opening farther as you ascend in pitch and by keeping your breath moving
steadily. The larynx may tilt as you ascend, but shouldn’t rise.
Matching Pitch
You may be familiar with the phrase “He can’t carry a tune in a bucket” or
“She’s tone deaf.” If either phrase sounds familiar, I have some good news.
You can develop a sense of pitch, so you can carry a tune in a bucket.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice
Perfect pitch
Perfect pitch involves naming a note and
singing it without hearing the pitch first. For
example, singers with perfect pitch can sing
Middle C correctly without hearing it first. They
can also pick up a piece of music that they've
never heard and sing all the correct notes with-
out hearing the first note. You can't develop
perfect pitch — you're either born with it or
you're not — and even if you have it, you don’t
automatically sing every note in tune. Relative
pitch, however, can be developed. Relative
pitch involves guessing at the note and usually
getting close to the exact pitch. Most singers
develop relative pitch from singing their scales
or even singing a certain song over and over.
They often begin on the correct note just by
knowing the way it feels. Perfect pitch may
sound cool, but it's not necessary for good
singing.
Being able to hear a pitch in your head or from an external source, such as
65
the radio or a piano, and then sing it is called matching pitch. The first step to
matching pitch is figuring out how to hear the pitch in your head so you can
match it. The second step is matching it with your voice. Matching pitch is
a skill. Perhaps it’s not your strongest skill today, but you can improve with
some practice. Using my suggestions in this section, you can improve your
ability to match pitch and join in at the next campfire sing-along.
Matching pitch may be tricky for you in the beginning. If you’ve never been
able to do it, matching pitch won’t happen instantly, but you can improve with
Sliding up and down on pitch gives you the chance to hear a pitch from an
external source, such as a piano, and then sing that pitch or slide around
until you match it. Sliding away from the right note allows you to hear the
vibrations of your voice clashing with the wrong note and then match the
ee
some practice. Be patient and keep trying!
Sliding up and down on pitch
ae right note.
With practice, you can match any pitch, but start in the middle part of your
range and work your way up.
1. Play a note on any instrument.
2. After you play the note, feel it in your body — visualize yourself sing-
ing the note before you actually sing it.
3. Play the note again and sing it.
If you didn’t match the pitch, slide up and down until you match it.
66 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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You can keep playing the note on the piano until you match it. How do
you know when you’ve matched it? You’ll hear that the vibrations of
your voice and the vibrations of the note sound similar. The sounds will
blend together.
4. Play a different note.
5. Visualize it and hear the note in your head before you sing it.
6. Now sing the note.
If you miss again, slide up and down until you match the pitch.
If you sang the correct note after some practice, good for you. Play the note
again. This time, intentionally slide above the note or higher than the note,
and then slide back down and match it again. The next time, try sliding below
the pitch and then back up to match it. This exercise trains your ear to hear
the matching vibrations of your voice and the instrument.
You can also ask someone to sing a note and hold it out. Listen to the person
sing the note for a moment, and then try to match the pitch. Make sure that
the note isn’t too high; matching pitches that are close to your speaking range
is easier than matching pitches that are outside your speaking range. As your
partner sings, try sliding around until you match his pitch. If you still aren’t
sure, ask him to tell you when you get it right. This buddy system is beneficial
for you because your buddy can be the pitch monitor. As you explore pitch,
find a buddy of the same gender: It’s usually easier to match the pitch with
someone who’s the same gender.
On Track 3, listen to the note played on the piano and then listen to the singer
sliding above and below the pitch. This exercise helps you understand what I
mean about the vibrations of your voice matching the correct pitch. You can
hear the clashing of the sounds when the singer is too high or too low, and
you can hear the similar vibrations when she matches the pitch.
Developing muscle memory
For some folks, a link is missing between hearing the pitch and singing it.
Developing what’s called muscle memory can bridge the gap, however.
Muscle memory refers to your body remembering how to do a task — like
riding a bike or typing. In singing, your voice remembers how it felt to sing
a certain note or exercise so that you can recall that feeling the next time
you sing the note. Practice the following exercise so you can develop muscle
memory for matching pitch.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice 6 7
. Find a quiet place and take a few moments to listen to your favorite
tune in your head.
. Take a moment and try to feel the pitch in your body.
What does that mean? If I asked you to imagine yourself speaking, you’d
feel or imagine the sensation in your body. You hear the sound of your
speaking voice in your head when you're rehearsing that funny joke
for the dinner party or practicing your acceptance speech for the big
awards banquet. Now I want you to feel the sensation of singing the tune
that you hear in your head.
. Visualize yourself singing the notes in the first few lines to process the
message that your brain sends to your vocal cords.
. Sing a few lines of the tune.
Were you close? If you got part of the song but not the high notes, try
singing the song again in a lower key that’s more suited to your voice.
If you sang most of the notes on target but missed a few, go more slowly.
Take more time between hearing the pitch in your head and singing it.
You can even sing a nursery rhyme that isn’t as complicated as your
favorite tune.
Recording yourself and singing along
Another way of discovering how to match pitch is to record yourself singing
along with another recording. This exercise gives you a chance to compare
the notes you sing with the notes that the singer on the recording sings.
Listening to yourself singing on a recording is different from listening to your-
self singing live. You can be more objective and hear the difference between
what you sang and what was on the original recording.
1.
Choose your favorite song and select a recording device.
Recording with a digital recorder offers a better quality than a tape
recorder.
. Start playing the song at the same time you begin recording.
. Hold the recorder near your mouth and sing along with the song.
Sing at least half the song.
. Stop the song and the recording.
5. Be brave and play the recording.
Were you close to matching the pitches? Did you hit most of the notes?
Missing only the high notes is fine for now. You can read more about
singing higher notes in Chapters 11 and 12.
68 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
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If you missed most of the notes, go back and review the previous
two exercises (from the sections “Sliding up and down on pitch” and
“Developing muscle memory”).
Not liking what you hear on the recording is normal. Don’t give up yet! You'll
get used to hearing your voice recorded. Comparing your sound to the artist’s
recording isn’t fair, because the artist probably spent thousands of dollars for
a sound engineer to make her sound incredible.
Releasing Tension for Getter Tone
Anytime you sing, be aware of how your body moves to create tone. When
you sing, you want your body to be free of tension so that you create a
round, full sound. For example, if you’re singing and your body is tense
and your throat is tight, the tone will be tight, thin, or strident. You don’t
want that.
The following exercises in this section help you discover how to release ten-
sion from your neck, jaw, and tongue to create that beautiful tone. But before
you try those exercises, get your entire body into alignment by reviewing the
exercises in Chapter 3.
Checking for neck or jaw tension
Having a loose jaw and flexible tongue is important. The tighter your jaw, the
tighter the sound — and the tighter your tongue, the more difficult it is to
make your song understood.
Become aware of the back of your neck and jaw as you sing so that you can
monitor whether you have a flexible jaw and tongue. Follow these steps:
1. As you step into alignment, notice what you feel in the back of
your neck.
2. Massage the back of your neck to release any tension.
As the tension melts away, notice how easy it is to move your head with-
out tension in the back of your neck. Feel your head floating above your
shoulders as if your neck is long.
3. When your neck feels tension-free, notice what your jaw is doing.
Without even realizing it, most people clamp down on their jaw.
Everyday stress can lead to clenched teeth and clamped jaws.
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Chapter 5: Toning Up the Voice 6 9
4. To relieve a cramped feeling in your jaw, let your jaw hang loose as if
you were asleep.
I know that you’ve seen someone snoring away with his jaw hanging
wide open for any old bug to fly right in. Allow yourself to explore this
feeling of release and openness in your jaw.
5. When you feel the fluid motion, try singing a few lines of a song.
Combine correct posture and breathing and open space in the throat
and mouth with fluid motion of the jaw and neck. Whew! That’s plenty to
think about, but you can do it.
Bouncing the tongue and jaw
To create great sound, your tongue needs to be just as released as the rest
of your body while you sing. The tongue is a huge muscle, and if it’s tense
or bunched up in the back, it blocks or squeezes the tone, making it sound
tight. Your tongue should just lie like a rug — relatively flat — in your mouth
except when you’re making consonant and vowel sounds that require you to
arch your tongue. (You can find exercises for singing vowels in Chapter 8 and
consonant exercises in Chapter 9.)
Isolating the movement of the tongue and jaw is important because you don’t
have to press your tongue down to move your jaw or move your jaw when
your tongue moves. The tongue and jaw are members of the same team, but
they don’t have to play at the same time. You can do the following to make
sure that your tongue is released and working on its own:
1. Without moving your jaw, say “Yuk.”
Saying the y allows you to move the back of your tongue.
2. Again, without moving your jaw, say “Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya.”
Did you notice how your tongue was bouncing?
3. Bounce your tongue again and then let it rest in your mouth.
Notice what the tongue feels like when it’s resting in your mouth. It’s not
tense or pushing up or down. It’s just lying in your mouth.
4. Bounce your jaw and say “Ya-ya.”
Say “Ya-ya” several times, and let your jaw bounce or move up and down
as you Say it. Notice how it rests in place after you say the syllables. You
want your jaw, like your tongue, to hang loose, ready to move at any
moment — but not tense.
70 Part I: Exploring Singing Basics
E
Figure 5-1:
Bouncing
the tongue
and jaw.
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Use the musical pattern in Figure 5-1 to practice the following exercise (don’t
forget to step into your alignment and breathe):
1. Sing “Yah” on each note to feel the movement of your tongue.
For now, don’t move your jaw. Just use your tongue to sing the “Yah.”
2. After you explore that sensation, sing the pattern again, but sing an
“ah” with your tongue resting in your mouth.
Notice how released your tongue can be when you sing the ah vowel.
3. Sing the pattern again. This time, bounce your jaw and sing “Yah-
yah.”
Allow the jaw to move as you sing. You'll still be able to sing.
4. Sing the pattern again, using the ah vowel, and let your jaw be still.
Notice that the jaw is hanging loosely and is open.
1. yah-yah- yah-yah-yah-yah- yah-yah- yah
2. ah
In the musical example in Figure 5-1, notice how the syllables are divided
underneath the note. The yah-yah is written underneath every note, but the
ah has a line moving off to the right. That line indicates that you sing “ah” and
hold it out for the length of the pattern. You don’t have to re-sing the ah vowel
for each note. Get out some music to see how the syllables are divided for
some familiar words. Understanding this process helps you master a new song
because you can guess which note and which syllable belong together.
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Part Il
Improving Your
Singing
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
_
See eet et
“Here’s a little technique I use to help people
reach the high notes.”
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In this part...
E meat and potatoes of technique are in this part.
Tone is an important topic, so you get more information
in this part to keep you moving in the right tonal direction.
Because resonance seems to be a misunderstood
phenomenon, you can debunk all the myths that you hear
and find out the real story. Inquiring minds want to know,
and it’s all in this book waiting for you to gobble it up.
The big workout in this part centers on vowels and
consonants. Your audience won’t understand you if your
vowels and consonants aren’t distinct. The exercises in
this part get your vowels and consonants whipped into
shape. After you read through some of the chapters on
technique, you may want to develop a practice routine to
polish your technique.
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Chapter 6
Acquiring Beautiful Tone
In This Chapter
Using space and breath to create tone
Maintaining that beautiful tone
Discovering your own vibrato
T: create your own beautiful, engaging tones, you need to make space for
the tone to resonate, and you need to apply the breathing skills that you
can pick up in Chapter 4. Space and breath are great partners in tone produc-
tion. If you invite space to the singing party and don’t invite breath, the space
closes down. So think of those two factors as a team, and keep them working
together. This chapter gives you all the tools you need to create your space
and breath team while creating and sustaining beautiful tone and vibrato. See
Chapter 5 for information about tone in different styles of singing.
Creating Tone
When you sing, you want to create tones that are clear and ringing. But
making a clear tone takes practice and know-how. You need to know how to
Ru control your muscles and the movement of air.
You don’t want to produce breathy or tight tones:
1# Breathy: A breathy tone is fuzzy and unfocused. To get an idea of what a
breathy tone sounds like, pretend that you’re whispering a juicy secret
to a friend. The fuzzy tone that you use when whispering isn’t clear or
ringing. When you sing with a breathy tone, you lose plenty of air. It takes
much more air to sing a breathy tone than it does to sing a clear one.
Tight: When your muscles are so tight that they squeeze the sound out,
you get a tight tone. If you’ve ever run out of breath but kept singing by
pressing or squeezing, you’ve produced a tight tone. Imagine using that
sound to sing an entire song. Whew, how tiring!
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74 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
ANG?
O
Instead, you want to move air (exhale) to create a free, large, colorful, open
tone. Using too much physical pressure in the throat (which feels like squeez-
ing) creates a tight, constricted sound; not connecting enough air creates
a fuzzy or airy tone. You need to find the happy medium — a tone that’s
connected to air and sounds clear. By coordinating the flow of air from the
breathing skills you developed in Chapter 4 and by keeping the space in your
throat open, you can control the quality of your tone.
Starting the tone
Onset of tone refers to starting a tone for singing. You can start a tone in two
ways: with physical force or with air. You have to use some physical exertion
to sing, but the exertion comes from energy moving to coordinate the mus-
cles for breathing. Too much physical force results when the muscles in the
throat press together with very little air flowing. By starting the tone with a
consistent breath flow and an open throat, you create a tone that has a better
quality. Starting the tone with air applies the same idea as producing the lip
trill (see Chapter 4) or tongue trill. When you start the lip trill, the air passes
between your lips, suction pulls them together, and they flap in the breeze.
Your vocal cords do the same when you start the tone by coordinating a con-
sistent flow of air.
The easiest way to start the tone, humming, involves singing or making a tone
with your lips closed. Think of humming as a prolonged M. Try it. If you aren’t
sure whether your tone was clear, say, “Uh-huh,” with your mouth closed —
the sound you make when you’re reading the newspaper and someone asks
you a question. Say “Uh-huh” again to hear and feel the clarity, and then use
that same feeling to hum part of a song. The clarity of tone from your “Uh-
huh” is different from the whisper you use to explore breathy tone. You can
feel the difference in vibrations between a breathy tone and a clear tone. The
clear tone creates stronger vibrations in your throat, mouth, and nasal pas-
sages. You may feel vibrations in all three locations, or the vibrations may
vary depending on how high or low you’re singing or speaking. Remember
this feeling so that you can start the tone clearly each time you sing it.
When you start a tone, don’t rely on the sound. The sound may be different in
each room, so you want to rely instead on the feeling, which should be more
consistent from room to room and day to day in your singing. See Chapter 7
on resonance for information about projecting sound and how it may vary in
different rooms.
Creating back space
In the days before computers, people often used the phrase back space to
refer to moving the carriage of a typewriter back one space. In singing, back
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Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful Tone 15
space refers to the space in the back of your mouth and in your throat. Just
opening your teeth or the front of your mouth (front space) shows off your
gorgeous pearly whites, but it doesn’t do enough for your tone. Yes, you do
have to open your teeth to create enough back space, but the big opening
has to be in the back of your mouth and your throat. For space and breath
to work together, you need to open the space quickly and then move the
breath. (See Chapter 4 for more information about breathing.)
To create the open space necessary for great tone, pretend that you have an
egg in the back of your mouth. You can use other images, such as a golf ball,
if you don’t like eggs. Compare the feeling of the space when it’s closed and
when you have the egg sitting on the back of your tongue. Practice opening
that space quickly. Allow your tongue to release down, not press down.
Try singing part of your favorite song. Find the openness from the imaginary
egg in the back of your mouth, and begin singing with the throat and the back
of your mouth open. Remember to find the same clarity that you had when
you were humming. You can compare the tone change by first singing with
the throat and back of the mouth closed and then singing with the space
open. If you aren’t sure about the difference in the sound, record yourself
and listen.
The first few times you open the space in the back of your mouth, the reso-
nance may sound hooty, as if the sound is in the back of your mouth. Allow
the tone to be hooty while you learn to coordinate the space. Eventually, you
will be able to open the space and send the sound forward.
Coordinating air with tone
When you have the space open, you want to coordinate breath with tone
to sing. You want the movement of the air to happen at the same time the
tone starts.
Try these three ways of coordinating breath and tone:
Whistle: Whistling requires that you move some air between your lips as
you make tone. This coordination of breath is similar to singing. Whistle
a tune or whistle at an attractive person. Notice how your body moves.
You can’t whistle without using air, and the air movement and start of
the tone happen simultaneously.
Laugh: Laughter is mostly about connecting air with the start of the
tone. Take a few minutes to explore that feeling of boisterous laughter.
Let the sound vary in pitch and change to higher and lower pitches
as you extend the laughter. Notice the movement in your body as
you laugh. More than likely, your body moves exactly as I describe in
Chapter 4. That means your lower abs (that’s short for abdominal mus-
cles) move in and your sides move out as you exhale to make the sound.
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76 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
ar
Play: Pretend that you’re on the playground, having a blast on the swing
or the merry-go-round. Kids often exclaim “Weeeeeeeee!” when they’re
delighted by moving fast. The “Weeeeeeeee” may start on a high pitch
and gradually slide down, or you might extend the sound without chang-
ing pitch. Notice that this exclamation is clear and that you’re moving
breath as you sustain the sound.
After you explore these three suggestions, try singing part of a song to notice
the flow of your air as you start the beginning tone of each phrase. You want
the air to be moving consistently the entire time you sing, and you want the
open space to remain open as you sing.
Sighing your way to clarity
Certain styles of music don’t require clarity in the tone, but you want to be
singing a breathy tone by choice instead of having no idea how to sing clearly
when you really want to. Sighing helps you focus on finding this clarity of
tone. It allows you to make sounds without worrying about singing precise
pitches, which you needn’t bother with for this exercise.
Start a sigh at a comfortable pitch, and maintain the sound of a sigh as you
slide down pitches. The sigh can also be called a siren. Sigh or siren as if the
sound moves up and down a three-story building. If your sigh is clear, con-
tinue your exploration and move to higher pitches. If your tone isn’t clear, try
to make a more-energetic sigh. Adding more energy to the sigh means con-
necting your body to the sigh. Engage your entire body in sighing by moving
as you sigh. Move your body in such a way (leaning, bending, stretching) that
you feel as if your entire body is surging and sighing. Using this exertion of
energy when you sing also helps you find clarity in your tone. Your breath is
flowing to complete a specific physical movement, which helps with the onset
of tone. Filling a room with a clear tone is easier than filling it with a fuzzy
tone. Without a microphone, you need a clear tone to be heard when you sing.
Younger singers often have a breathy tone, caused by lack of coordination.
To create a clear tone, you need to use correct technique without adding
pressure. Doing so involves getting the breath ready and then adding the
energy that I just described. If you have a breathy tone, work on your breath-
ing skills (see Chapter 4) to better understand that movement in your body.
When you've polished your breathing skills, focus on tone production. Your
tone may also continue to change as you mature, which is normal. Just
remember what good technique feels like and keep working to make it a habit
in your body.
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Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful Tone
If you aren’t sure whether your tone is clear, record your practice ses-
sion and imitate Marilyn Monroe’s unfocused tone when she sang “Happy
Birthday, Mr. President”; then imitate Pavarotti to find clear tones. The
point is to find out what your tone sounds like and know when a clear tone
is appropriate. You can use a breathy tone if you want that style and sound.
Norah Jones has a breathy tone, but she’s an example of someone singing
pop and jazz music, using that tone on purpose.
Releasing Tone
Releasing a tone doesn’t sound nearly as important as singing the tone. You
sing a tone and then release it or stop singing. Singing requires that breath
move out of your body (exhale), and releasing the tone simply requires that
you inhale. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Practice the following two exercises a
few times to get the feeling in your body. In the heat of the performance, you
want your body to remember how to let go of the tone so you can quickly
take in that next breath.
Inhaling to release tone
An easy way to practice releasing tone is to inhale. Sing an ah vowel and,
when you’re ready to stop the tone, simply inhale. The first few times you try
this, it may feel funny. You may think that you haven’t done it right, because
it was too easy. Practice singing the ah and releasing several times in a row:
ah, inhale, ah, inhale, ah, inhale. Although this exercise may have you momen-
tarily sounding more like a sex kitten than a professional singer, it allows you
to feel that singing is exhaling, releasing a tone is inhaling, and the breath is
always in motion, whether going in or out. Remember that when you inhale,
you want to release the muscles in your throat. If you keep the muscles tight,
you gasp, because the air is trying to pass through a tight space.
Letting your throat go
After you explore inhaling to release the tone, try letting your throat go and
releasing all the muscles in your throat. You may still have enough air to keep
singing, but you have to release the tone if you’re at the end of the song or
the end of a phrase. Just think of releasing in your throat by letting go of all
the muscles to stop the tone. You may end up inhaling, but you don’t have to
worry about that action, because your body took care of it. As a young singer, I
was afraid to sing higher pitches because I didn’t know how to stop them with-
out choking on the consonant. Think of the release as a liftoff from the tone or
a liftoff from the consonant, and don’t worry about stopping the tone.
11
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18 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Sustaining Tone
ee
Figure 6-1:
Creating a
legato line.
a ) wa
Sustaining tone is a singing must. Have you ever run out of air before the end
of the phrase in your song and then had to sneak in a breath? Sneaking in a
breath is legal when you sing, but I want you to sneak a breath because you
choose to, not because you have to. Among the times you ran out of air, you
may even have had to take a breath in the middle of a word. Yikes! It’s nota
federal crime, but you came to the right place for some tips on applying your
breathing skills to sustain tones.
Connecting the dots with legato
Those gorgeous tones that professionals sing so effortlessly happen because
they know how to connect the pitches of a song. Singers sometimes sing a
melody one pitch at a time, not thinking of a continuous line or phrase. To
make the phrases legato (smooth and connected), think of the pitches as
having no empty space in between. The sound needs to flow from one pitch
to the other, and the feeling in the throat must be a continuous sound even
while you change pitches. Singing a long line of tone is possible because of
breath control. If you haven’t read Chapter 4 on breath control, do so now so
that you can apply those skills as you attempt to sing legato lines.
While singing the pattern in Figure 6-1, focus on making the sound legato and
concentrate on the connection between pitches. Find your alignment, practice
the breath a few times, open the back space, and begin. Allow your body to
open as you inhale and steadily move back in as you sing.
fe
|
di
e e
e G
1. oh
2. ah
Trilling the lips or tongue
The lip trill is an exercise that I explain in Chapter 4. This time, you’re going
to really let those lips trill on a longer, slower musical pattern. The purpose
of the lip trill is to monitor the flow of air — you can’t continue the lip trill
without the air flowing. By making the pattern longer, you get an opportunity
to sustain the tone longer. If that lip trill is just too much for you, feel free to
Figure 6-2:
Trilling a
long legato
line.
E
A
Figure 6-3:
Managing
long
phrases.
Dn
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Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful Tone
use a tongue trill. The principle is the same: trilling the tongue but maintain-
ing a consistent flow of air. For this pattern, you want to monitor how your
body moves as you trill — gradually moving. Review the exercises in Chapter 4
for tips on how to manage exhalation.
Focus on creating a legato line as you sing the pattern in Figure 6-2. Find your
alignment, prepare your breath, and begin.
6 SS : ==
1. Lip trill: br
2. Tongue trill: tr
Working your breath control
The pattern in Figure 6-3 gives you the chance to sing and put all your eggs
in the basket. Instead of playing the exercise faster, I slow it down to make
it harder, so you really have to work the breath. Think through all the skills
that you can apply (using great posture, opening the space in your throat and
mouth, and getting breath in your body) so you're ready to put it all together
when you sing this pattern.
The pattern in Figure 6-3 is played slowly to allow you to lengthen your breath
and sing long legato lines. You have time between each repetition to get your
breath. Remember to find your alignment, open the back space, allow the
breath to drop in your body each time, and keep your chest steady through-
out the pattern. You can review the exercises on breath control at the end of
Chapter 4 if you have trouble with this pattern.
19
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Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Finding Vour Vibrato
ar
Vibrato, the variation of a sustained tone or pitch, is one of the differences
between singers and styles of music — how much vibrato they use and
whether they use it all the time. A normal vibrato rate is five to eight pulses
or fluctuations in the tone per second.
Vibrato can be fast or slow, depending on the singer. A really slow vibrato is
sometimes called a wobble, which is often created by a lack of breath coordi-
nation. Vibrato that’s too fast is called a tremolo and usually results from too
much tension somewhere in the throat or neck area. Keep reading to find out
what exercises can help you find your vibrato and to discover the difference
between straight tone (no variation in pitch) and vibrato.
When you sing, one option is to use straight tone, with no vibrato or variation
in the tone. You can use straight tone when you sing various styles of music,
but you want the straight tone to be a choice, because it’s a different sound.
Knowing how to move from straight tone to a tone with vibrato is important
in adding variety to your singing tone. Young male singers (before they hit
puberty) don’t have vibrato, but almost everyone else has it or can acquire it.
One way to understand vibrato is to listen to other singers, especially classical
singers. Almost every classical singer has vibrato. Listen to the pitches as the
singer holds them out, to hear the variation of the tone. After you spend some
time listening to others, record yourself singing a song that has sustained
pitches. Listen to the recording of you singing. Notice the variations of your
tone as you hold out the pitches. You may find that the vibrato was there all
along, and you just didn’t know it or didn’t know what it was called.
Moving from straight tone to vibrato
When you sing, you can choose to create tone that has variation in pitch
(vibrato) or not (straight tone). Absolutely nothing is wrong with straight
tone singing, as long as that’s your choice. Your choir director may have
asked you to sing straight tones when performing some styles of music (see
the nearby sidebar, “Vibrato in different styles,” for more info). Many people
sing with straight tones because they have too much tension in their neck or
throat. You don’t have to squeeze in your throat to create straight tone —
actually, just the opposite is true. You need to keep the throat open for a
tone with or without vibrato.
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Chapter 6: Acquiring Beautiful Tone
Vibrato in different styles
Classical singers use vibrato on sustained
tones except in some contemporary or modern
music and early classical music. For this mate-
rial, they use straight tone and vibrato.
Musical theater singers use both vibrato and
straight tone. Vibrato is commonly used in ear-
lier musical theater and straight tone is often
used in contemporary material. Musical theater
singers often start the note with straight tone
and then allow the vibrato to come in.
Folk singers tend to use straight tone and some
vibrato. The rate or variations in pitch during
vibrato are not as drastic in the folk singer
compared to the classical singer. If you think of
vibrato as an ornament to the sound, then the
classical singer uses lots of vibrato to ornament
the material and the folk singer uses only some
vibrato.
Rock, pop, country, and R&B singers often use
straight tone and some vibrato on sustained
tones. Because these styles of music have
fewer sustained tones than classical music, the
singers have fewer opportunities to use vibrato;
therefore, it isn't considered a characteristic of
the style. That doesn’t mean the artists don’t use
it, but they use it more sparingly than a classical
singer. The artist singing the style of music may
have to adjust the use of vibrato when singing
different styles of material because some art-
ists cross over between styles of music.
On Track 8, listen to the singer demonstrate the difference between a tone
with and without vibrato, as well as how she moves from straight tone to
vibrato. Then you try it. Sing a tone that has vibrato, and then sing a tone that
has no vibrato. Now try starting the tone without vibrato and sliding into a
tone with vibrato. As the vibrato begins, you feel something release and the
81
movement of the vibrato begin. It’s not a huge difference; it’s subtle. Try this
several times in a row to feel the difference. If you still aren’t sure which sound
you're making, try whining, which is usually made with a straight tone. Listen
to the sound when you whine your way through part of a song, and then open
up and really sing.
Imitating another singer’s vibrato
Singers who have good coordination of breath and open space usually
have vibrato. Think of a singer (probably someone you’ve heard singing
opera or classical music) who makes a huge sound when singing. Now imitate
that singer.
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82 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
MBER
KV
&
Find a quiet place where you can make plenty of sound. Hear the singer’s
voice in your mind and then imitate that singer. If it helps, open your arms
wide, hold a towel, or stand on a chair, so you feel enormous. Imitating some-
one with good technique doesn’t hurt your voice. You may discover that you
can make some pretty big sounds yourself.
If you imitate a singer with vibrato, you can probably figure out how to
imitate that vibrato, too. When you do, continue to explore that sound and
notice what your voice sounds like. You can even record yourself, just to
prove that you made that much glorious sound.
If you didn’t find a different sound, imitate a different singer. This time
choose a larger-than-life opera singer. Be flamboyant and pretend that you’ve
been called in to sing because the star is ill. Fake it and sing some of this
singer’s songs — even make up the words.
The key to singing with vibrato is to make the sound happen naturally — don’t
force it. Explore different kinds of sounds, and work with space and breath to
find vibrato.
You may be tempted to create vibrato by bouncing your abdomen or your
larynx — but don’t. Bouncing your abs or larynx doesn’t consistently pro-
duce vibrato; instead of forcing it, let the vibrato happen because you keep
air consistently flowing, as you did in the exercises in Chapter 4. Ham it up
and enjoy vibrato!
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Chapter 7
Exploring Resonance
In This Chapter
Separating the truth from fiction
Putting your sound out where folks can hear it
Understanding what resonance is not
Moving your soft palate to achieve the best resonance
H ow do all those singers project so much sound without microphones?
They take advantage of resonance, the vibrations that create tone.
Resonance is the glorious magic that allows a singer to fill a large hall with
sound without electronic amplification. Creating tone is the first step in the
singing process. (See Chapter 5 for more information on creating tone.) The
next step is to refine your tone depending on which style of music you want
to sing. Read on to find out more about what type of resonance is desirable
for different styles of music, such as classical, pop-rock, country, and jazz,
among others.
Sound vibrates in canyons, and you need to take advantage of the small
canyons in your body called resonators — your throat, mouth, and nasal pas-
sages. Chapter 6 discusses how to open the space in the throat and mouth to
get the most benefit from those resonators. And by lifting the soft palate, you
adjust the resonance in the throat and nasal passages. (For more on your soft
palate, see the section “Eliminating Nasality,” later in this chapter.)
In this chapter, you explore the sounds and feeling of resonance and discover
where sound can resonate in your body.
Good Vibrations
Resonance is vibrations that create tone through and within your mouth,
throat, and nasal passages. Large, full resonant tones are desirable in some
styles of music but inappropriate in other styles. Keep reading to find out
what’s customary in your favorite style of music.
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84 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Choral music: If you’re a choral singer, you need resonance so you can
be heard when you sing a solo. Use less resonance when you’re asked to
blend with other singers.
Classical music: Very full resonant tone is desirable in classical music,
especially operas. Classical singers try to generate as much resonance
as possible to fill the large concert halls when they sing opera. To gener-
ate these large resonant tones, you need to really open the space in your
throat and the back of your mouth to create a space for the sound to
resonate in. Good breath coordination and precise shapes and sounds
of vowels further enhance the resonance. (See Chapter 8 on vowels and
Chapter 4 on breathing.) For early classical music, you want resonant
tone that’s slightly less than what’s required for the later operas of
Puccini, Verdi, or Strauss.
Country music: Country music is currently very similar to pop music.
Country singers are great storytellers and they often write songs that are
very close to speech. They use resonance as they would in speaking —
forward and chatty. Early country singers used a lot of twang — forward
nasal resonance similar to their speaking voice.
Y Jazz: Jazz singers almost always use a microphone and sing with instru-
ments. When you use a microphone, you don’t have to work so hard
to generate resonance to carry your voice to the back of the club. You
need to know how to create clear tone (see Chapters 5 and 6 about tone)
and create enough resonance that the microphone picks up your voice.
Musical theater: For this style of singing, you want to create resonance,
but not as much as for classical singing. Musical theater singers often
wear microphones onstage in productions, so the sound engineer is
largely responsible for getting your voice to carry to the back of the hall.
If you generate too much resonance, you sound like a classical singer
trying to sing musical theater. Some musical theater roles require a full
resonant tone, but classical music requires the most resonance. For
musical theater, you want to know how to open the space to generate a
lot of resonance when you sing the more legit material (The Light in the
Piazza, Maury Yeston’s Phantom, or Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals
such as South Pacific or The King and I), and then adjust the space and
resonance when you sing contemporary musical theater material
that is more conversational (such as Jn The Heights, Memphis, or
Spring Awakening).
Pop-rock and R&B: These styles of singing require mostly forward nasal
resonance. You need to keep from squeezing the space in the throat and
mouth, but you also don’t need to be as fully open as classical singers do.
The space may not be as wide open but it should be free of tension. Pop-
rock and R&B singers also use a microphone. If your tone doesn’t have
resonance, the microphone will have trouble picking up your sound and
projecting it over the instruments. You want enough resonance to sing
the style of music, but not as much as classical singers need.
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Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance
Resonance: From crying to crooning
Listening to popular music on the radio provides
you with an opportunity to hear different types
of resonance. Pop and country singers use
much more twang — that sound that's similar to
a cry or whine. The resonance isn't made with
a wide-open throat and a low larynx, but it still
can be a pleasant and enjoyable sound. Other
singers, like Frank Sinatra, are called crooners.
Crooning is like lazy singing — for example,
Sinatra always had a microphone in front of him
and wasn't worried about projecting to the back
of the hall. Classical singers use a lower larynx
and have to use plenty of brilliant resonating
tones, because they don't have microphones on
the stage. See Chapter 5 for help with finding
and positioning your larynx. Some opera com-
panies amplify the singers, but it's not common
practice.
As you listen to your favorite singers, note the
difference in the sound and think about what
you have to do with your own voice to imitate
those sounds. You probably have to change the
space in your mouth and throat, and sometimes
even change the position of your larynx. Have
fun exploring these sounds as you discover the
secrets of resonance. By experimenting with all
the different resonators, you can better achieve
a balanced resonant tone in your own singing
voice. If you want some ideas of who to imitate,
try listening to these pairs of singers to hear
drastic differences in resonance: Loretta Lynn
and Leontyne Price, Gracie Allen and Kathleen
Turner, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) and James
Earl Jones, or Marlon Brando and John Wayne.
Recording artists spend a lot of money altering sounds in the studio. In the
studio, you can record until you get it perfect or the engineer can paste the
85
ar
fabulous segments together. A live concert requires that you get it right the first
time. You want great technique so you know you can rely on your voice under
pressure. Attend live concerts so you can hear the difference in sounds —
even the best performers aren’t perfect.
Exploring your resonators
When you sing, you want to open the space in your throat and mouth to
generate sound in all your resonators (mouth, throat, and nasal passages).
Opening the space allows the tone to resonate in the space, but tone needs
to move forward when you sing for everyone to hear you; otherwise, you’re
just staging your own private concert inside your head. Moving the sound
forward means taking advantage of the resonators and allowing the sound to
really ring in each resonating space while you intentionally propel the sound
forward and into the room.
Try to propel the sound forward by visualizing the tone moving out of you
and into the room. Some singers intentionally visualize that they swallow the
tone to understand the opposite of moving the tone forward. When you feel
that sensation, you can compare it to what you feel when you visualize the
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86 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
tone moving forward and into the room. Read the section “Ringing it out” to
explore the feeling of the sound moving forward. Knowing how to access all
that resonance can help you fill an entire concert hall, instead of just your car,
with great tone.
Keep reading for more information about resonance in the nasal passages,
which you feel as vibration in your face. You can check out the information
in Chapter 6 on opening the throat, which helps create resonant tone in your
throat and mouth. Read Chapter 8 for more about producing equally reso-
nant vowels and making your words heard from the back of the concert hall.
Ringing it out
Swallowing vowels moves the sound into reverse — it’s the opposite of pro-
pelling the sound forward to achieve the resonance you want. To create reso-
nant tones that resound around the room, allow the sound and sensations of
the resonance to move forward. Follow these steps:
1. Sustain an M consonant.
Notice the buzzing sensation in your lips and around your face.
2. Sustain an M consonant again for a few moments, and then sustain an
ee vowel.
It sounds like “MMMMMMeeeeceeeeeee.”
3. Now sing the same “MMMMMMeeeeeeeeee.”
Note whether the ee buzzes or resonates in the same vicinity as the M.
Most people say that sustaining the M consonant creates a buzz of vibra-
tions around their lips or in the front of their face, so look for that same
sensation when you move to the vowel ee.
4. When M-ee is easy and you’ve explored the buzzing sensations for
both sounds, try M-ooh, M-oh, and M-ah.
M-ah may be harder to feel, but try to sing ah and keep the same vibra-
tions you found in M-ee.
5. When that’s easy, roll between consonants and vowels, singing words
like many and moment.
Maintain the same ring or buzzing sensation of resonance each time as
you go from the consonant to the vowel.
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Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance
Eliminating Nasality
Your soft palate is the soft tissue on the roof of your mouth. Knowing where it
is and how it moves can help you make resonant tones. A soft palate that lifts
helps create the ringing sound that you want. If the soft palate doesn’t lift,
the sound is nasal. Exercise your soft palate so that it lifts on command and
you avoid that nasal sound.
ay? To check for a nasal sound, sing part of your favorite song and hold your nose.
If you have a balanced, resonant sound, your sound won’t change and you can
successfully sing while holding your nose. If the sound does change, you likely
have a nasal sound.
Getting the feel for soft palate work
Seeing your soft palate in action helps you visualize it working correctly. But
before you watch it work, you need to find out where it is in your mouth.
Run your tongue along the back of your front teeth and then along the roof of
your mouth. You can feel a ridge right after your gums, then the hardness of
the hard palate, and then the soft tissue at the back. That soft tissue is your
soft palate.
To see your soft palate move, follow these steps:
1. Shine a flashlight in your mouth while looking in the mirror.
2. Yawn so that you can see the soft palate lift.
3. Say “Hung” or “Ugh” to see the tongue and soft palate touch.
If you aren’t sure what your soft palate feels like when it moves, then I give
you my permission to cut some zzzzz’s and snore — just don’t try this as
an excuse for your nightly snoring habit. Snoring helps you feel your soft
palate moving.
ay? To feel the soft palate, pretend that you’re snoring in your sleep. Snore with
your mouth open and take in air through your nose. If this only gets your nose
quivering, put your fingers on your nose and close off your nostrils. When you
close your nostrils, try snoring again by breathing through your mouth. That
quivering you feel is your soft palate moving.
Ro As you practice the exercises in this section, bear in mind how it felt and
looked to have your soft palate lift and to have your tongue touch your soft
palate. These movements, when coordinated, keep your sound from being
too nasal.
Re,
87
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SS Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Coordinating your soft palate and tongue
When you know where your soft palate is and how it feels when it moves, you
need to discover how to coordinate that movement of your soft palate with
your tongue. Knowing how to move the soft palate is important for speaking
and singing, because you want the soft palate to lift for a resonant tone. If
the soft palate doesn’t lift, you make a sound that has too much resonance in
your nose, or a “nasal sound,” as you may have heard someone say. To make
a sound that has a resonant tone, explore the following exercises to help you
feel the movement of the tongue and soft palate in words. You can then apply
that same knowledge to your singing. When it’s time to sing a consonant that
requires moving the soft palate, move the tongue and soft palate until they
touch and then lift the soft palate back up and release the tongue down.
In Chapter 9, you can explore consonants. To prepare for some of the move-
ments you need to make in your mouth, you want to be able to move your
tongue to touch your soft palate and then go back down and rest in your
mouth. To feel how the back of your tongue raises to meet your soft palate
and then moves back down, do the following:
1. Move the soft palate up and down.
Stand in front of the mirror and shine a flashlight at the back of your
mouth. Locate your soft palate and try to move it. If you aren’t sure how
to move it, say “Hung-ah” and watch the soft palate and tongue meet
and then separate. Say the “Hung-ah” several more times until you can
feel the muscles that move the soft palate. Try to move the soft palate
up and then release. If it still won’t move, yawn. The soft palate moves
up at the beginning of a yawn. The tongue usually releases down at the
beginning of a yawn. You don’t want the tongue to push down as it does
toward the end of a yawn; you want the tongue to release down as the
soft palate moves up.
2. Lift your soft palate and keep it up for four counts.
Review the preceding step to figure out how to lift your soft palate.
When you can execute that motion, lift the soft palate and practice keep-
ing it up for four counts. Release it and then hold it up again for four
counts. Holding up the soft palate is what you want to do when you
sing or speak. Keeping the soft palate up keeps the resonance just right,
because dropping the soft palate too low makes the sound nasal.
3. Move the tongue up and down.
Say the “Hung-ah” again and watch the back of your tongue move up.
See whether you can move the back of the tongue up and down, as you
do when you’re repeatedly saying a K sound. Practice moving the back
of the tongue up and down until you’re confident that you know how to
move it up and then release it.
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Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance 89
4. Separate the tongue and the soft palate.
Lift the soft palate and release the tongue. Don’t press the tongue down,
but release it so there’s space in the mouth or distance between the soft
palate and the tongue. This opening is what you want to feel when you
inhale and when you sing.
Moving air through the nose
Nasal resonance is different from a nasal sound. Nasal resonance involves
taking advantage of the sound resonating in the nasal passages. If all the
sound resonates in your nasal passages, the sound is a nasal sound or too
nasal. Air shouldn’t be moving out of your nose unless you’re humming or
for the split second it takes for you to make a nasal consonant (M, N, NG).
To help you feel the sounds of nasal resonance and feel the air moving out of
your nose, try the following exercise:
1. Hum a few bars of a song to feel buzzing around your lips.
Humming is prolonging an M consonant. You should be able to feel the
buzzing or resonance of that consonant in your nasal passages.
2. Try humming while holding your nose.
Doesn’t work, does it? When you close your mouth and hold your nose,
the air has no escape route.
3. Hum again without holding your nose.
Notice the flow of the air coming out of your nose. This escape route is
just fine when you’re singing, as long as you allow the air to escape only
when you’re pronouncing nasal consonants, such as M, N, or NG. When
the soft palate lifts again, the air escapes out of your mouth, creating a
more balanced resonant tone.
When you open your mouth for a vowel, you want the air to come out of
your mouth. If it doesn’t, the sound is nasal. Remember that you can have air
coming out of your nose as you're singing nasal consonants, but not while
you’re singing a vowel sound. If air comes out of your nose while you’re
singing a vowel, you create an undesirable nasal sound, which doesn’t take
advantage of all the resonators. See Chapter 4 on breathing for help with coor-
dinating your body on sustained tones.
90
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Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Debunking Common Misconceptions
\NG/
Pà
Now that you understand what resonance is, finding out what it isn’t is
important, too. Myths and misconceptions about resonance abound, and
most have to do with what is — and is not — a resonator.
If you buy into these myths, the tone of your singing voice may not be as good
as it can be.
Misconception: Tone resonates
in your sinuses
Sometimes a voice teacher says, “Let the tone resonate in your sinuses.” It’s
a nice image, but sound doesn’t resonate in the sinuses even though you may
feel the vibrations in your face. Sound may resonate in the nasal passages
but not in the sinuses. You’re feeling sympathetic vibrations, also known as
sympathetic resonance. What the teacher is trying to get you to do is explore
the vibrations of sound in your face — or in the mask, as some teachers like
to call it.
Your mask is the front of your face. Think of the bones and skin on your face
as a mask sitting on top of another face. You may feel the sound vibrating like
crazy as if you have some metal substance on the front of your face.
No need to correct someone who says, “Let the tone resonate in your
sinuses.” Just keep exploring sympathetic resonance, and everyone wins.
Misconception: Vou have to place
every tone in the same location
The word place is misleading. You can visualize and feel, but you can’t liter-
ally place a tone anywhere. Place is a common word voice teachers use, and
it’s not all bad. What they really want is for you to explore the sensations and
get the most resonant tone as possible from your singing voice. They may
say to focus the sound to get the most resonance. Think about how you focus
a flashlight to get a strong, clear beam of light. Keep focusing your sound,
and know that focusing is often called placing or placement. Remember, these
images can help you achieve the sound you’re trying to produce.
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Chapter 7: Exploring Resonance 9 ]
Also confusing is the fact that you don’t feel every tone in the same location.
Again, you can focus and try to feel sound in the same place. You probably
feel head voice vibrations more in your head or on the top of your head, and
you feel chest voice in your chest. Feeling the sounds of chest voice in your
head is much harder, so “placing the tones in the exact same location” is
tough. Work to find brilliance and focus in all tones, and then remember that
feeling, no matter where it is.
Some time ago, I worked with a wonderful director who kept asking me to
place the tone outside my lips. When he finally said, “That’s right; that’s the
place,” I didn’t feel the sound anywhere near my lips. I realized that I had to
find the correct sound, notice where I felt it, and remember what it felt like.
Remember that every body is different. Where I feel a vibration, you may not.
Work to achieve the quality of tone, and remember that the vibration you feel
is a result of this.
Misconception: Vou’re supposed to
keep your tongue completely flat
The tongue has to move to shape vowel sounds and consonant sounds, so it
can’t stay down all the time. Releasing tongue tension is different from keeping
the tongue down. You can read about releasing tongue tension in Chapter 4.
After releasing the tension, you can move the tongue to shape vowel sounds
and consonant sounds without pressing up or down. As you can read in
Chapter 8, your tongue arches to make certain vowels. Sometimes the arch
is in the front of the tongue, and sometimes it’s in the back of the tongue. If
you're trying to keep your tongue down at all times, you may end up muffling
your vowels. Allowing your tongue to do its job when the time comes is easier.
Misconception: Vou need to open
your mouth as wide as possible
Opening the mouth for singing is good. Opening the space in the back of your
mouth is excellent. Opening your mouth too far isn’t good, however, because
the sound spreads. Dropping the chin too far actually closes off the back
space. See Chapter 4 for an explanation about opening the jaw. To find the
right space, put your second and third fingers together with one finger on top
of the other. With your fingers parallel to the floor, place your two fingers in
your mouth between your teeth, and see how that space changes the sound
when you sing ah. Create the space and then remove your fingers. You really
can have too much of a good thing if you open your mouth too wide. Open
your mouth to let the sound come out, but don’t show your tonsils, no matter
how beautiful they are.
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92 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Misconception: The more forward
the sound, the better
It’s true that if you swallow your vowels, you create a backward sound, which
isn’t so great. However, by thinking only of projecting your voice forward
as much as possible, you create a piercing sound. You may want to use that
sound for a character voice (imagine Fran Drescher singing), but I don’t rec-
ommend doing it for every song. Variety in resonance is important in a song.
As an actor you want to create a variety of sounds to represent the story you
are telling — every song has a story to tell. See Chapter 18 about acting and
creating a journey.
Misconception: Vou have
to smile to stay on pitch
The other counterpart of the smile-to-stay-on-pitch myth is raising your eye-
brows to stay on pitch. Raising your eyebrows creates a lift that many people
believe helps you stay on pitch. The problem is that this lift can cause unnec-
essary tension — plus, it makes you look surprised all the time. The same is
true about smiling. A smile is a beautiful thing, but it can cause unnecessary
tension in your face while singing. Smiling usually pulls the corners of the
mouth toward the ears and tightens the muscles inside the mouth. You can
still use this idea if you think of a smile gently lifting up the cheeks and open-
ing behind your eyes.
You may also have explored pushing the lips out to focus a pitch. It changes
the sound, but you can’t always depend on adorable fish lips for ringing
sounds. Find the bright resonant sound by exploring sympathetic vibrations
so your lips can round to shape the vowels. Read Chapter 5 for more informa-
tion about matching pitch and Chapter 8 about vowels. If your pitch is good
and your vowels are precise, you don’t need to tighten anything to help
the pitch.
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Chapter 8
Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity
In This Chapter
Knowing your back vowels from your front vowels
Dropping your jaw and using your tongue and lips
Singing and pronouncing distinct vowel sounds
our grade school teacher taught you that vowels are A, E, I, O, and U.
However, the name of a vowel may differ from its pronunciation. For
example, the name of the letter A sounds like Ay, although that same letter
can have one of several different sounds, depending on the word it’s in (as in
always, after, and sofa). Those sneaky little vowels disguise themselves with
different pronunciations in various words: American English has 15 vowel
sounds — not 5. Such news may sound like a mouthful, but you make all 15
vowel sounds every day without even thinking about it.
When you hold out a note, you sustain a vowel sound. Therefore, making
clear, precise vowel sounds is important if you want to be understood. And
to make those precise vowel sounds, you need to know how to shape the
vowels quickly, using a specific tongue shape or arch, forming a certain lip
shape, and correctly opening the jaw or mouth. If you fudge your vowels,
“I miss pizza,” may come out as, “A mus pit suh.” So if you don’t want Aunt
Geraldine in the back row turning up her hearing aid until it squeals, check
out the exercises in this chapter. I provide you with the information to
shape most vowel sounds using your tongue and lips, to pronounce vowel
sounds clearly in a sentence, and then to sing vowel sounds to make yourself
clearly understood.
You want to generate a consistent resonance for all vowels. Even when the
shape changes, the resonance needs to remain solid. Work the vowel exercises
in this chapter to produce precise vowel shapes, and check out Chapter 7
for help on keeping the resonance consistent when you change vowels.
MBER To make vowel sounds, you poise your lips in a certain position and arch your
tongue in a specific way. But you need to keep the tip of your tongue against
your bottom front teeth for all vowel shapes. Think of this as home base —
the tongue stays at home on all vowel sounds. The tip of the tongue moves to
make consonants but always returns to home base after you finish the sound
of the consonant, to hold out the vowel as you sing a note.
Ih
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Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Symbols used for pronunciation
In the front of your dictionary, you can find
a chart of symbols that the dictionary uses
to help you pronounce the words correctly.
Linguists have their own symbols for notating
the sounds of vowels and consonants, called
the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The
system was designed to give a common lan-
guage to the pronunciation of sounds. Anyone
the words in IPA and sound familiar with the
language. Singers usually study IPA in dic-
tion classes. Without focusing on the transla-
tion, singers pronounce different languages
using IPA symbols. In this book, | spell out the
vowel sound for you or use symbols found in
Webster’s dictionary, because that’s more
common to new singers or nonsingers.
who knows IPA can read a transcription of
Getting Vour Backside into Shape —
Back Vowels, That Is
Now you get the chance to explore your back vowels. You make these vowels
by arching or raising the back of your tongue near the roof of your mouth,
while keeping the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth and
keeping your lips rounded. You may be familiar with these vowel sounds
(such as ooh, oh, and ah) because of how you shape your lips. Even so, you
need to make sure that you keep the tip of your tongue against your teeth
and keep your lips poised for action. Keep reading to discover how to quickly
move from one vowel sound to the next with clarity and precision.
Exploring the shape of back vowels
In Table 8-1, you can read down each column out loud to feel and hear the
same vowel sounds in several words. Then you can read across the page to
explore the differences. When you understand the sound and shape of each
vowel, you can isolate just the sound, without the word, to move quickly
from one vowel sound to the next when you sing.
If you read the words across the page from left to right in Table 8-1, you can
feel your
Jaw dropping the farthest for the vowel ah.
Lips moving from rounded and slightly open for the ooh sound to
relaxed and open for the ah sound. Picture five circles in a row, rep-
resenting rounded lips. The circle on the left is ooh; the lips are close
together, with a small, round opening. The second circle is OOh; the
opening of the lips is slightly larger than with ooh. The third circle is oh;
Ce
Figure 8-1:
Back
vowels.
ay
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Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity 95
the opening is slightly larger than with OOh. The fourth circle is aw, and
the opening is slightly larger than with Oh. The fifth circle is ah; it is the
largest of the circles and represents the full opening of the lips.
Tongue arching higher in the back of your tongue on the ooh vowel
sound and arching only slightly for ah. The illustration in Figure 8-1 dem-
onstrates the arch of the tongue for back vowels.
The OOA and aw sounds are tricky, even if your first language is English.
Practicing the ooh and OOh helps you learn to distinguish between the two
sounds. OOh is similar to the sound of und in German. You also want to prac-
tice aw and ah to make a difference between these two sounds.
Table 8-1 Exploring Back Vowels
ooh 00h oh aw ah
woo foot old awe father
moon took obey fraud blah
two should hotel fought bra
who put over talk plaza
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96 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
NING,
SS
Most of these words are pronounced differently across the United States,
but the sound of the vowel in blah should be the exact same sound for the
words bra and plaza. These pronunciations are for standard American
dialect — how American English is supposed to be pronounced. Edith
Skinner is considered the authority on standard American dialect. You can
explore her book Speak with Distinction (Applause Books) for more informa-
tion about standard American dialect. Singers can use their regional dialect
when they sing folk music, country, and sometimes pop, but not when they
sing classical music or perform musical theater.
Just when you were beginning to make sense of all these vowel sounds, along
comes a tricky consonant to muddle things further. Wis considered a conso-
nant, but it sounds like ooh (a back vowel sound) and the lips round as in ooh.
Because the W sound glides into another vowel, you make the sound of the
word we by moving from ooh to ee.
Lipping around your back vowels
The sentences in the following list give you the chance to put all those
shapes you discover in Table 8-1 into action, speaking through a series of
similar vowel sounds. Try to recall the shape of each vowel so you can easily
differentiate among the vowel sounds when you sing.
1” ooh
Whom do you boot?
“Oops, noon hoops,” cooed Bruce.
Whose pooch did Schubert smooch?
Loose roots spooked Pooh.
1#” OOh
The cook mistook your foot for soot.
She took good sugar cookies.
The bull stood in the crook of the brook.
The rookie forsook pulled wool.
1” oh
Omit overt ovations.
Olivia obeys Joanne.
The motel located the oasis.
Rotate the robust mosaic.
Figure 8-2:
Alternating
vowels for
precise lip
shapes.
T
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Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity
Yaw
She saw the flaw in the law.
He ought to have bought the awful saw.
Paul, chalk the walk.
Fawns gnawed the raw straw.
1” ah
Put the calm balm on my palm.
Father made macho tacos.
The saga at the spa was a facade.
Suave drama at casa Las Vegas.
Singing the back vowels
Sing the pattern in Figure 8-2 to practice shaping the back vowels. (See
Chapter 1 for some help with the musical notation in Figure 8-2.) By making
precise shapes with the vowel sounds (as you do when speaking through the
words in Table 8-1), you can easily make yourself understood when you sing
words. When the series of vowels becomes easy for you, look at Table 8-1 to
find words that go with each of the vowel sounds and sing through them.
SS
aw ah
Mastering the Front Vowels
Your tongue arches in the front of your mouth to sing front vowels. Your
tongue does most of the work shaping front vowel sounds, but make sure
that both your lips and tongue are released and free of tension. The front
vowels don’t require as much lip action as the back vowels.
97
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IS Part Il: Improving Your Singing
NING,
RY
Exploring the shape of front vowels
The front vowels are much less open than the back vowels. I’m not saying
that your mouth lacks space, but these vowels aren’t as wide open as the
back vowels. It may sound odd, but it’s true.
The vowels in Table 8-2 are called front vowels because the tongue arches in
the front of the mouth to make these sounds. Keeping the tip of your tongue
touching your bottom front teeth, say the vowel ee. Notice how your tongue
arches in the front of your mouth when you make the sound. You also feel
the sides of your tongue go up. Another difference between back and front
vowels is that, when the tongue arches in the front, the sides of the tongue
also raise and touch the upper teeth. As you speak through the vowels, you
feel your
Jaw drop slightly for the ee vowel and gradually move down more as
you move from ee toward a.
Lips slightly open for the ee vowel, and open more as your jaw drops
when you move to the most open vowel, a.
Tongue arching in the front, the highest on the ee vowel and the lowest
on the a vowel, and the tip of the tongue resting against your bottom
front teeth.
Figure 8-3 shows the arch of the tongue for front vowels.
Table 8-2 Exploring Front Vowels
ee ih ay eh a
me kiss ate bed asked
eagle myth gain head passed
flee wig day heaven master
ski busy they guess danced
Some words in Table 8-2 have two vowels. I’m referring to the vowel sound
that comes first — in the first syllable.
The name of the consonant is pronounced like why, but that’s not the sound it
makes. Yis considered a consonant, but it sounds like ee (as in the word you —
ee-ooh). The sound of the Y glides right into the next vowel.
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Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity 99
PC
Figure 8-3:
Front
vowels.
Ea
Speaking the front vowels
Now it’s time for you to put all the front vowels in sentences to practice
speaking. Using these vowels gives you an opportunity to return to the cor-
rect arched position of your tongue after moving through the consonants.
You can even use the sentences with front vowels to sing the musical exam-
ple found in Figure 8-4 when you’re confident singing the individual vowels.
“ee
We meet lean, mean fiends.
He greased Phoebe’s knees.
Greedy eels eat cream.
Leave me peas teased, Eve.
ih
Hip chicks knit big mitts.
Cliff fixed its clipped wick.
Tim’s busy with his chips.
Dig Phillip’s little sister Lilly.
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1 00 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
i ay
Great Dane saves whale.
They say Abe gained weight.
Kate saves pale ale.
James blames Dave's fame.
1” eh
Deb’s pet pecked every peg.
Ed shed wet red.
Edge any hedge, says Ned.
Kelly’s mellow fellow fell dead.
Lance can’t glance last.
Ask half after Fran.
Vast masks pass fast.
Prance aghast past grassy path.
The ay vowel is actually a diphthong, or two vowel sounds together. I include
it in the front vowel list because the arch of the tongue is important for making
the correct sound. As you make an ay sound, just know that it’s a diphthong
and that you move through two vowel sounds.
Singing the front vowels
You want to make precise vowel sounds as you sing. Singing a song requires
you to move quickly from one vowel sound to the other; you must quickly
change the arch of your tongue to accommodate the different vowel sounds.
You have to make the shape happen at the speed of the music. If you prac-
tice singing the vowels alone, you give yourself the chance to really get them
solid before you add consonants in words.
You may not be able to tell the difference between each vowel sound as you’re
singing the pattern in Figure 8-4. So record yourself singing along with the CD
and then listen to the recording. Pretend that you’ve never seen the pattern
and try to distinguish which vowel you’re singing. Notice which vowels aren’t
as precise as others, and you can make those a priority in your next practice
session. If they aren’t clear, go back and practice making the shape, saying the
words with the vowels, and then singing again.
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Chapter 8: Shaping Your Vowels for Clarity
More than just A, E, I, 0, and U
By now, you may be amazed to find that you
have to reckon with singing 15 vowel sounds,
not 5. Even more amazing are all the names
given to vowels and their sounds: back vowels,
front vowels, diphthongs, and so on. But to get
even more technical, vowels can also be open
or closed.
Open vowels refer to vowel sounds that
require you to open your lips wider, such
as ahor aw.
Closed vowels refer to vowel sounds, such
as ee or ooh, because your lips aren't far
open when you say those vowels. Think of it
as semi-closed to get just the right opening.
All these names for the five little vowels can
be confusing or interesting, depending on your
point of view. Just tuck away this info so you
can understand your director or voice teacher
when he talks about vowels or wow your col-
leagues with your understanding of vowels the
next time you're at the water cooler.
101
Work the vowel sequence in Figure 8-4 to get that tongue arched quickly to get
the right vowel sound. If your tongue doesn’t move fast enough, you may sing
a different vowel. No problem — just keep trying. When you’re able to clearly
distinguish each vowel sound, insert some words into the pattern for variety
and spice in your practice routine.
De
Figure 8-4: TRACK 10
Arching
the tongue
while
alternating
vowels.
[Ey ee ih ay eh a
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1 02 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
a?
Singing vowels in English
If English isn’t your first language, knowing
which vowel or syllable to emphasize when
you're singing can be a mystery. In fact, people
who speak English as a second language often
stand out precisely because they emphasize
the wrong syllable in certain words. Sometimes
a composer puts a weak syllable of the word
on a very strong beat in the music. What to
do? You can look up the words in a diction-
ary to determine which syllable to emphasize
and then practice speaking through the text.
If you speak through the text, you practice the
shapes of the vowels and can familiarize your-
self with the flow of the syllables. After you
speak through the text, sing through the text of
your song. Knowing which syllable to empha-
size now makes you sound like English is your
native language. Practicing with the exercises
in this chapter not only helps you create precise
vowel sounds, but also helps you sound like a
native English speaker if you emphasize the
right syllable. Even if your English is fabulous,
you still want to look up words to make sure
your pronunciation is correct for singing.
Regional accents are great but you want neu-
tral speech (with no accent) when you sing your
classical or musical theater songs.
Composers also have to know which syllable
is emphasized in a word so they can put it in
the right place in the musical phrase. If the
word in your song normally has the accent on
the second syllable (direct, resolve), the com-
poser may put the first syllable on a long note
and accent the weak syllable. Instead of sing-
ing Die-wreck-t, keep your focus on the second
syllable. You're then closer to the right vowel,
which is Dih-rect. Similarly, instead of focusing
on Reeee-zolve, keep the musical line moving
to the second syllable so that you sing Rih-
zolve. You have to know which syllable gets the
emphasis, just in case the composer gets car-
ried away and emphasizes the weak syllable on
a strong musical beat.
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Chapter 9
Exercising Consonants
for Articulation
In This Chapter
Singing consonants like a singer would
Shaping your mouth, tongue, and lips to fit the sound
Giving your lips and tongue a consonant workout
N o doubt you remember from grade school that consonants make up
the bulk of the alphabet — they’re all the letters except A, E, I, O, and
U — but just knowing which letters are consonants isn’t enough to sing ’em.
You have to understand how to shape consonants with your tongue and lips
so that you can sing them with clarity and precision.
Most people who mumble aren’t working and shaping their mouths properly to
make distinct consonant sounds. The same is true when singing: You need to
understand how to articulate consonants so that what you sing is clear to the
audience. After all, the words of a song are the vehicle for telling your story.
Knowing how to move your lips and tongue as you sing consonant sounds
makes all the difference.
This chapter offers help so that you can clearly enunciate those consonants
without sounding forced or tense. I start by telling you about voiced and
unvoiced consonants, and then I offer tips on singing soft palate, lip, and
combination consonants. Throughout the chapter, I tell you how to shape
consonants. (By shaped, I mean that your mouth has to shape itself in a par-
ticular manner to pronounce the consonant.)
When you come to the tables in this chapter, practice reading the words
across the page to compare similar consonant sounds. Read down the
column to solidify that particular consonant sound. Solidifying a consonant’s
sound and recognizing its differences from similar sounds helps you to
quickly move with precision from one sound to the next while singing.
104
Part Il: Improving Your Singing
ar
MBER
KV
&
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Your tongue is an independent mover and shaker. You don’t have to open or
close your jaw to move your tongue. Allowing your tongue to move all by itself
helps you keep your jaw and the back space open for your high notes. It also
helps you look more polished when you sing a fast song if your jaw isn’t bob-
bing at every syllable.
The name of the consonant isn’t the same as the sound. The name of the
consonant D may sound like Dee, but when you sound out the consonant, it
sounds like Dah.
Saying Voiced and Unvoiced Consonants
ar
Students often ask about the correct pronunciation of words for singing and
speaking. Knowing the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants
can help you figure it out.
1#” Voiced consonant sounds are produced by adding vocal sound. An exam-
ple is the letter M. If you say the word make, you have to add sound to
the letter M before you even get the vowel. (Other voiced consonants
include B, D, G, J, L, N, NG, V, W, Z, and ZH.)
¥ Unvoiced consonants are produced by momentarily stopping the flow of
air and making no voice sound. The unvoiced consonant has sound, but
the sound comes from the flow of air. The consonant Tis an example. If
you say the word to, you don’t make any sound with your voice until you
get to the vowel. (Other unvoiced consonants include CH, F, K, P, S, SH,
and WH.)
As you read this chapter, practice the pairs of consonants in the tables so you
know when you have to use your voice to help make the consonant sound.
When you’re sounding out the ends of words, follow these general rules. The
ed at the end of a word is pronounced with a D sound if the ed is preceded by
a voiced sound (vowel or consonant), as in the words headed, lingered, and
roamed. However, if the ed is preceded by an unvoiced consonant, it sounds
like a T, as in such words as picked, yanked, joked, and wrapped.
You may also notice that some consonants can be either voiced or unvoiced
based on what follows them. For example the th in bath is unvoiced, but the
th in bathe is voiced. Sh in the word shoe is unvoiced, and zh in the word
visual is voiced. J in the word jump is voiced, but ch in the word champ is
unvoiced. Because most printed dictionaries don’t include a guide on which
consonants are voiced and unvoiced, you can search for pronunciation Web
sites to hear a particular word pronounced for you.
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Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation ] 05
Making Tip Consonants
You shape tip consonants with the tip of your tongue as it touches the alveo-
lar ridge. If you slide your tongue along the roof of your mouth, you first feel
your teeth, then a small section of gums, and then a ridge — the alveolar
ridge. The only tip consonant sound not made on the alveolar ridge is TH,
which is shaped with the tip of the tongue touching the upper front teeth.
Keep reading to discover how to shape the tip consonants correctly as well
as sing them. Practicing consonant shapes gives you not only the preci-
sion you need to sing, but also the confidence that you’re putting your best
tongue forward while articulating the tip consonants.
Shaping tip consonants
To sing a song, you take a breath, open the space in your throat and mouth,
and then shape for the vowel and consonant. That’s a lot to do in the first
moment of your song, and all these shapes continue as you sing through the
words in your song. Until you’re confident that you can shape tip consonants
without thinking about it, practice them. D, T, and S are the most commonly
mispronounced tip consonants. D is often mistakenly pronounced like a T.
Be sure to listen for the sound of your voice when you make the D. Practicing
these shapes every day will help you quickly get the hang of tip consonants.
Working out with D, T, L, N, S, and Z
To shape the tip consonant sounds in Table 9-1, the tip of your tongue
touches the alveolar ridge. The voiced consonants are D, L, N, and Z. The T
and S don’t require any voice, so they’re unvoiced consonants. While shaping
these tip consonants, make sure that your
Tongue’s tip is moving from your bottom front teeth to the alveolar
ridge behind your front teeth. The tip of your tongue curves for the D
and T and flattens more on the alveolar ridge for the L and N.
Lips are released and free of tension. In Tables 9-1 and 9-2, as you move
from the consonant to the vowel, your lips may be shaped for the vowel
sound as the tongue’s tip touches the alveolar ridge.
The consonants in Table 9-1 may be pronounced differently in other lan-
guages. For American English, you want the tip of the tongue to touch the
alveolar ridge for the tip consonants. For other languages, the consonants
may be made with the tip of the tongue touching the teeth. For this exercise,
practice curving the tip of the tongue slightly so it touches the alveolar ridge
for the D and T, and flattening on the alveolar ridge for the L and N.
1 06 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
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Table 9-1 Practicing D, T, L, N, S, and Z
D T L N S Z
do to Lou new sip zip
doe toe low no sap zap
dab tab lab nab sing zing
If you have a lisp, make your S with the tip of the tongue against the roof of
your mouth (not your teeth) while the sides of your tongue touch your teeth.
If your S sounds too similar to a leaky tire, release the grip on the tip of your
tongue. Practice saying the word ifs. You say ih and then place the tip of the
tongue against the alveolar ridge for the t. Then the tip of the tongue releases
in the center for a tiny stream of air. Release the air slowly to feel and hear the
s. Hold out the s to feel the movement of the airflow.
When singing the words don’t you, can’t you, and could you, or any other com-
bination that has a D or Tnext to a Y, make sure that you say, “Could you?”
and “Don’t you?” and not, “Could jew” or “Don’t chew.” You can get a laugh
in a song in the wrong place if you chew too much on the wrong consonant
combination.
Trying a TH
In Table 9-2, you explore the other consonant sound made with the tip of
the tongue — TH. Unlike the other tip consonants, the TH is made with the
tongue tip touching the edge of the upper front teeth instead of the alveolar
ridge. The first column uses a voiced TH sound, and the second column uses
an unvoiced 7H sound.
Practice saying the words in Table 9-2. While shaping the 7H in Table 9-2,
take note that your
Tongue’s tip is touching your bottom front teeth and then moving to
touch your upper front teeth.
Lips may move to shape the vowel sound following the TH.
For American English, the TH sound requires air to move over the tongue.
If American English isn’t your first language, you may confuse the TH sound
with D because the TH sound doesn’t exist in every language. To make the TH
specific, put the tip of the tongue against the teeth and blow a little air. The
voiced TH sound has the sound of the voice plus air moving. That is different
from a D sound, which temporarily stops the flow of air.
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Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation ] 0 7
Table 9-2 Practicing TH
Voiced TH Unvoiced TH
this theater
the thin
brother tenth
Tipping for R
The sound for the consonant R is the hardest to shape. An R can be confus-
ing because it sometimes stands alone as an individual sound and sometimes
is closely linked with a vowel. It is a voiced consonant. When you sing words
that contain a consonant R, you may notice that your
Tongue’s tip rises toward the roof of your mouth behind the alveolar
ridge for this consonant.
1# Lips shape for the vowel sound that follows the R.
In other languages, R is rolled or flipped. Flipping an R means saying the R like
a D, and rolling an R means touching the tip of your tongue on your alveolar
ridge as you would with a D, and then blowing air over it to make your tongue
vibrate like the tongue trill in Chapter 6. Flipped or rolled Rs aren’t appropri-
ate for American English. Try the following sentences to practice R:
Row, row, row the boat.
Right the wrong.
Race red rover.
™ Run, rabbit, run.
Singing tip consonants
As you practice the pattern in Figure 9-1, speak through the syllables a couple
times to get the feeling of the tip of your tongue moving to make the sound of
the consonant. Practice the lines until each one is clear. Record yourself as you
sing along, and listen back to hear whether your consonants were distinct.
Singing through the tip consonants in this way helps you feel how the right
movement of your tongue makes each consonant easy to sing and easily
understood. Watch yourself in the mirror to check the movement of your
tongue. Listen for the voiced consonants L, N, D, Z, and the voiced TH.
1 0S Part Il: Improving Your Singing
E
Figure 9-1:
Singing tip
consonants.
De
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——— rr |
1. loh noh loh noh loh
2. dooh tooh dooh tooh dooh
3. zah sah zah sah zah
4. thy thigh thy thigh thy
5. row row row row row
Making Soft Palate Consonants
If you slide your tongue along the roof of your mouth, you first feel your teeth
and then feel a small section of gums, a ridge (the alveolar ridge), a hard sur-
face, and, at the very back, a soft surface. That soft surface is your soft palate,
where you shape the soft palate consonant sounds. To say the soft palate
consonant sounds K (as in the words cat or king), G (as in the word go), and
NG (as in the word sing), you raise the back of your tongue to meet the soft
palate. Just after your tongue touches your soft palate, the back of your tongue
moves back down and your soft palate raises back up. The movement happens
quickly, and the back of the tongue remains flexible and free of tension during
this movement. You notice that the K sound occurs in words even when you
see the letter C, as in the word cat.
The Q is included in this list even though the sound of a Q is the same sound
as a K. The unvoiced Q is most often followed by a W or ooh sound, as you
see in the list in Table 9-3. By practicing both the K and Q you get the hang of
the K sound followed by most any vowel and the Q, which is followed by the
ooh vowel sound.
Shaping soft palate consonants
To shape soft palate consonants, keep the tip of your tongue against your
bottom teeth, lift the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, and shape
your lips for the vowel sounds before and after the consonant. The K conso-
nant is unvoiced, and G and NG are voiced.
While shaping the soft palate consonants in Table 9-3, see to it that
The back of your tongue rises to meet the roof of your mouth at your
soft palate, while the tip of your tongue continues touching your bottom
front teeth.
Your lips stay free of tension and ready to make the vowel sound that
follows the consonant.
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Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation ] 09
Figure 9-2:
Singing soft
palate
consonants.
De
If you have trouble with the sounds of K and NG because English isn’t your
primary language, practice saying sing and sink to feel and hear the difference
between the NG and the K. The NG is voiced and the K is unvoiced.
Table 9-3 Practicing G, NG, K, and Q
G NG K a
get sing keep quiet
gild hung cup quote
gore bang key quarrel
guppy clang caper queen
If you struggle to sing a soft palate consonant, try this. For the first few prac-
tice sessions, make the consonant sound with the middle of your tongue arch-
ing to touch the back edge of the hard palate. By moving the consonant out of
the very back of your throat, the sound won’t get trapped in the back of your
mouth. As you become more comfortable with keeping the back space open
while making soft palate consonants, you'll be able to touch the back of the
tongue in the right spot on the soft palate.
Singing soft palate consonants
Singing the soft palate consonants, such as in Figure 9-2, gives you an oppor-
tunity to make the sounds of these consonants and practice keeping the back
space open at the same time.
6h 3 i]
ee goh kee goh kee
2. sing sing sing sing sing
Working Lip Consonants
In this section, you can explore making consonants with your lips. Use both
lips for the consonants P, B, M, and W, or touch your bottom lip to your top
teeth for F and V. To make these sounds, keep your teeth apart and close
your lips. It’s similar to having an egg in your mouth and closing your lips.
1 ] 0 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
\NG/
so
NING,
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Shaping lip consonants
Lip consonants are different from tip consonants (see the earlier section,
“Making Tip Consonants,” for details on these consonants) because the lips
move instead of the tip of the tongue. The similarity is that you can move the
tip of your tongue and your lips without moving your jaw. Figuring out how
to keep the space inside your mouth open as you close your lips helps you
continue making those round tones as you articulate a consonant sound. The
voiced consonants are B, M, and W; P and WH are unvoiced.
Saying P, B, M, W, and WH
While shaping the consonants in Table 9-4, you can feel your
Tongue staying steady for all these consonants.
Lips close as you make each consonant sound. (But note that your teeth
remain open.)
W is different from V. You make the W sound with both lips, and you make the
V sound with the bottom lip touching your upper teeth. W can also be confus-
ing because it sounds like ooh. You glide from the ooh sound into the next
vowel. Remember that the name of the consonant may be different from the
sound. Make WH unvoiced when you read the words in Table 9-4.
Table 9-4 Practicing P, B, M, W, and WH
P B M Voiced W Unvoiced WH
pop Bob money wear when
puppy bubba music weather whether
pope bib mother witch what
pencil bulb mimic winter whisper
If you go overboard pronouncing the ending in some consonants, such as B,
you may hear a shadow vowel of an uh. Bob-uh isn’t what you want your audi-
ence to hear if Bob is the name of the man you're singing about!
Rehearsing with F and V
While shaping the consonants in Table 9-5, your
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Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation
TE
Figure 9-3:
Singing lip
consonants.
D
Tongue stays touching your bottom front teeth.
Bottom lip moves up to touch your upper front teeth, but your teeth
stay open. You won’t need to use your voice when your lips touch for
the F because it’s an unvoiced consonant. The Vis voiced. Practice with
a mirror to check that your bottom lip is touching your top teeth for the
V and the F-
Table 9-5 Practicing Fand V
F V
father vapor
feather vintage
Phillip vacant
As you may have noticed, different consonants can make the same sound. In
Table 9-3 you see different words that make the sound of a K (keep, cup). The
letters F and PH make the sound of F. The P consonant alone makes a differ-
ent sound than PH together. You can read about the sound of P using both
lips in Table 9-4 and PH using only the bottom lip touching the upper teeth in
Table 9-5.
Singing lip consonants
Singing the lip consonants (see Figure 9-3) gives you a chance to make the
sounds of the consonants and practice moving easily from a vowel to the con-
sonant. Watch yourself in the mirror to make sure that you’re keeping your
jaw steady, your teeth open, and your lips moving. Record yourself singing so
you can listen back and distinguish between voiced and unvoiced consonants.
] P be hd be o ba ? ? |
lamaa — ———
1. pooh-boo pooh-boo pooh-boo pooh-boo pooh
2. woh-moh woh-moh woh-moh woh -moh woh
3. fah -vah fah - vah fah - vah fah - vah fah
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1 ] 2 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Working Combination Consonants
Sometimes two consonants are combined to make a specific sound. Knowing
how to articulate the sound makes it much easier to sing. The combinations
of sounds listed in Table 9-6 are the few sounds that are made by closing the
space in the front of your mouth when you're singing. They require special
attention in practicing to be able to make the sound without totally closing
down the space in the back of your mouth and changing the tone.
Shaping combination consonants
For the consonant pairs in Table 9-6, your
Tongue’s tip moves toward the alveolar ridge and the sides of your
tongue touch the upper side teeth and gums at the side at the same
time. You feel air blowing between the tip of your tongue and the gums.
The tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge momentarily at the
beginning of the CH and J sounds. (See the earlier section, “Making Tip
Consonants,” for more info on the alveolar ridge.)
Lips should protrude slightly forward. The protrusion is slight and the
movement happens quickly. When your lips move for the ZH and J, you
use your voice. The SH and CH are unvoiced.
The position of the tongue is important. The SH requires you to blow air
between your teeth and tongue, whereas you make the CH by momentarily
stopping the flow of air, by putting the tongue’s tip on the alveolar ridge and
then blowing air. Listen to the singers on the CD on Track 14 demonstrate for
you. Be sure to note the difference between CH and Y. You make Y by moving
the back of the tongue, and you make CH with the tip of the tongue.
Table 9-6 Practicing SH, ZH, J, and CH
SH ZH J CH
show visual jump chump
plush pleasure June choose
shop measure age chance
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Chapter 9: Exercising Consonants for Articulation
Cutting off a note
One tricky part of singing is knowing how to cut
off a note that has a consonant at the end of a
word. Some people think you have to squeeze
to cut off the last note of a phrase. Squeezing
creates a tight grunt to cut off the last note of
your beautiful song. You have several options,
depending on the last sound in the word. For
example, if the last word you sing ends with a
vowel, you can simply inhale to stop singing the
last note or cut off the last note. Try it: Sing out
the words “I love you!” Sustain the last word
for a few moments. When you're ready to cut
off the note, just inhale. It feels funny at first,
but it makes releasing the note a lot easier. If
that last word ends with a consonant, you want
to sing through the last consonant and inhale
right away. Sing out the words “Come back.”
As you prepare to release the end of the word
back, move your tongue to create the K sound
and inhale at the same time. It feels as if you
sing through the K sound and then lift off. Some
singers focus on singing through the last con-
sonant and forget to prepare the breath for the
next word or phrase. If the K sound is the last
sound of the song, you can focus on only the
consonant. If you have to sing another phrase,
you want to sing the consonant and inhale right
away so you're prepared for the next phrase.
The consonant G can be pronounced two ways, as in the words go and George.
I use the consonant G in this chapter to describe the pronunciation of the con-
sonant G in the word go. I use the consonant J to describe the pronunciation
for the consonant G in George.
ST and SH are often mistakenly interchanged. An example is the word street —
it shouldn’t be shtreet. Practice sh-t and s-t so you can get it just right in your
song and when you give your new friends your street address.
Singing combination consonants
Sing through the sentences in Figure 9-4, following the words under each note.
Sing through each one until you feel the fluid movement from consonant to
vowel. Doing so enhances your ability to keep your back space open as you
momentarily close the space in front.
Sing through the consonants in Figure 9-4 with a legato (smooth and con-
nected) line, and try not to anticipate the next consonant. Allow yourself
time to extend the vowel before jumping to the next syllable and consonant.
Anticipating the next consonant means closing down the space in your mouth
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1 ] 4 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
too early, and that affects the shape and sound of the vowel you're currently
singing. Notice that you have to use your voice to sing through the ZH, but the
SH is unvoiced. You'll feel the difference, because the SH is just flowing air,
whereas the ZH requires you to make sound with your voice and move air.
O a] ecean
Figure 9-4: e +a P |
Combining # fo e o
your
consonants. 1.zhah shah zhah shah zhah
2. Joe Choh Joe Choh Joe
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Chapter 10
Crafting a Practice Routine
In This Chapter
Creating your own practice routine
Knowing when, where, and how to practice
Choosing exercises that fit your needs
Keeping track of your progress
M aybe you daydream of singing on a big stage, being the star of the
show, taking a bow after thundering applause, and thanking your
agent as you accept the award for the world’s most fabulous singer. Well, I
just have one little question: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, prac-
tice, practice.
Singing is no different from any other art; you have to work at it on a regular
basis to improve. Knowing how to practice properly is key to making consis-
tent progress toward that big dream of being the star attraction. A proper
practice session consists of physically warming up; doing vocal exercises to
improve tone, range, articulation, and breath; and then applying that work to
songs. If you aren’t sure how to practice your singing, this chapter is just for
you: I outline some of what I routinely suggest for my students and also apply
to my own practice sessions. Call me odd, but I love to practice. After reading
this chapter and realizing the benefits of practice, hopefully you will, too.
Knuckling Down to a Practice Plan
Organizing your practice session greatly increases your chances of accom-
plishing something. If you have only 30 minutes to practice, you don’t want to
waste the first 20 minutes figuring out what you need to do. Make a plan.
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1 1 6 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Planning your practice time also keeps you from getting overwhelmed. I sug-
gest many great exercises throughout the book for you to use to improve
your technique. If you think about all the details of singing, you’ll get discour-
aged. Pinpointing your goals for each practice session enables you to focus
on two or three skills in each session. If you really work those areas, you can
add new exercises quickly. You don’t have to plan your time so much that
you have no room for exploration, of course. Read on to discover other ele-
gore ments to include in your practice session.
&
Every practice session should include the following elements:
A warm-up period: In this part of your session, you warm up both your
body (yes, your body) and your voice. Head to the section “Warming
Up,” later in this chapter, for details on what to include in your warm-up
and how long to spend warming up.
The practice period: After you warm up, perform various exercises that
you discover in the book and hear on the CD. Chapters 11 through 13
cover specific areas of the voice.
An update on how you’re progressing: To know whether you’ve made
the progress you want, keep a practice journal (described near the end
of this chapter) and listen to your recordings from previous practice
sessions. See the “Recording yourself” section, later in this chapter.
Getting Answers to Vour
Practicing Questions
Don’t worry if you aren’t sure what to do when you practice. Students fre-
quently ask questions about practicing, so I answer them here before you
start practicing. Knowing where to practice, when to practice, and what to
use when you practice puts you on the right track for technique work.
Where should I practice?
The number-one question concerns location. Your practice space can be any-
where you can be alone and can concentrate. You simply need space to move
around comfortably during the warm-up and when you set the scene for your
song. Regardless of wherever else you do your practicing, devote some of
your time to standing up and practicing several times a week.
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Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine ] ] 7
ar
“Hey! Will ya pipe down?”
Echoing sound is great for the singer butnotso +~ Move the back of the piano away from the
great for the neighbors. Apply these tips to cut wall or tack a cloth on the back to dampen
down the noise: the sound.
Put rugs on the floor to absorb sound (car- © Use the soft pedal (the pedal on the left
peting is great). that dampens the sound) if you accompany
1# Close the door or hang a thick blanket over yourself.
the doorway to absorb sound. If you want to avoid the issue altogether, con-
sider renting a practice room from a music
Talk with your neighbors or roommates and store, recording studio, br church.
ask them about their schedule. They may
hate to hear you sing at 8 a.m. but may not
mind around noon.
What’s the best time to practice?
Anytime that works for you is best. Schedule a specific time and duration
for practicing each day. If you allot time on your calendar to practice, you’re
more likely to practice. Many singers practice more efficiently at night
because of their body clocks. You can also practice on your lunch hour or
right before or after work. To maximize your concentration, turn off the TV,
cellphone, and computer during your daily practice time.
Have your practice space set and ready each day. If you have to search the
entire place to find all your practice tools, you’re wasting valuable singing
time. Stay organized so you can enjoy your time being creative!
How long should 1 practice?
The length of the practice session depends on your level of expertise.
Someone who is new to singing can benefit from practicing 15 to 20 minutes a
day. Gradually increase your practice time to 30 to 60 minutes per day. Your
voice is like any other muscle group in your body: It becomes fatigued and
needs rest. As long as your voice is back to normal after a few hours of rest,
your practicing is on the right track. Improvement happens with frequent
practice.
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Part Il: Improving Your Singing
What do I need besides my voice?
Of course you need your voice to practice your singing. However, you need
some other tools as well:
Keyboard: Just about any new or used electronic keyboard works. A
piano is fine, too, as long as it’s in tune. You don’t have to know how to
play the piano to sing, but if you want to get a better understanding of
what keyboards and musical notation are all about, pick up a copy of
Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Blake Neely (Wiley).
Recording device: A recording device is super useful because all you
have to do is record the music once and then play it back during your
practice time.
Recording your practice sessions is a great way to monitor your prog-
ress, too. Record yourself singing through the exercises, and then rewind
to hear whether you were right on pitch or whether a vowel really was
precise. If you want a sound that’s a bit more sophisticated, use a digi-
tal recorder (such as an iPod or recording application on your phone
designed for recording music or singing) — the sound quality is much
better than with tape recorders. The sound of your voice played back on
a quality digital recorder is closer to what you actually sound like.
Pitch pipe: The leader of the choir or barbershop quartet whips this
gizmo out of his pocket and blows into it to sound the starting pitch. If
you don’t have a keyboard or a recording with your exercises handy,
you can get a pitch pipe and play your starting pitch. You can also play a
pitch occasionally to see whether you’re still on target.
Metronome: This gadget monitors speed and maintains rhythm — not like
a radar gun, but more like a ticking sound that encourages you to stay at
the same speed or tempo when you practice. Most songs have a tempo
marking at the beginning. You can set your metronome to this speed to
experience the tempo that the composer intended. See Chapter 17 for
more information about tempo.
P
s If you can’t locate a metronome, look at the clock. The second hand on
the clock is ticking 60 beats per minute. You can practice your song or
vocal exercise while keeping a steady pace with the ticking of the clock.
¥ Mirror: Mirrors are so helpful for practicing. By watching yourself in the
mirror, you become much more aware of how you move your body as
you sing. You can find more tips on watching your practice sessions in
the mirror in Chapter 3 (alignment) and Chapter 9 (consonants).
Music and pencil: As you listen back over the recording, take notes in
your practice journal or on your music. Seeing the notes from your last
practice session helps you remember your goals.
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Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine ] ] 9
Warming Up
A good vocal warm-up gets your body limber and your voice ready to prac-
tice singing. Make your body warm-up (stretching and limbering up your
body) last about five minutes — long enough to get your body flexible and
warm. Then spend the next ten minutes on vocal exercises that get your
singing muscles warm (humming, lip trills, sirens). You need to discover
what works for you; some people take longer to warm up than others. If I
haven’t been practicing for a few weeks, I sometimes need 10 minutes to get
my body awake and 15 minutes just to get my voice warmed up to practice.
During times when I’m singing quite a bit, I may need only a few minutes to
get myself ready to practice because my voice warms up quickly. I know I’m
warmed up and ready to practice when my voice and body feel warm enough
that I can move around and engage my entire body when I sing.
Stretching to Warm up your body
No matter how easy the day is, start your practice session by stretching out.
You want to get your entire body ready to sing, not just your singing muscles.
For the breath to really move in your body, you need to be connected to your
lower body. I recommend the following stretching routine, which begins with
your head and moves to your toes. For each segment, remember to continue
breathing as you move.
1. Shake out any tension in your entire body.
Wiggle around until you feel the stiffness in your joints melting away.
Use the exercises in Chapter 3 to help your posture and to release
tension.
2. Release your head forward.
Gently drop your head toward your chest at a slow pace and inhale. As
you exhale, allow your head to drop a little farther. Repeat this several
times, allowing the head to drop farther each time to stretch the neck
muscles. Inhale and lift your head back to its balanced position.
3. Move your head.
Turn your head to the left and to the right. Roll your head around, start-
ing from the left side and rolling your chin near your chest to the right
side. Don’t roll your head back unless you’ve worked with this kind of
movement before. The vertebrae in your neck may not respond well to
pressure from your head rolling backward.
1 20 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
10.
11.
12.
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. Gently stretch your neck.
Gently drop your left ear toward your left shoulder and pause. Inhale
and, as you exhale, drop your head a little farther toward your shoul-
der. Repeat several times, and then repeat the sequence over your right
shoulder.
. Move all the muscles in your face.
Tighten them and then release, to feel the flow of energy in your face.
. Move your tongue in and out.
Stick it out as far as possible and then move it back in. You can also lick
your lips — move your tongue in a circle around the outside of your
mouth to stretch the muscles in your tongue.
. Work your shoulders.
Lift your shoulders and then push them down. Move your shoulders for-
ward and then back. Make circles with shoulders in one direction, and
then reverse. Keep your chest steady and open.
. Swing one arm (and then the other) in circles.
As you swing, wiggle your fingers and wrist to get the blood flowing all
the way down your arm. Be careful; watch out for furniture. Repeat with
the other arm.
. Stretch your side.
Lift your left arm over your head and lean to the right. As you lean, feel
the muscles between your ribs opening on your left side. Reverse: Lift
your right arm and stretch your other side.
Swing those hips around to loosen that tension.
Many women hold tension in their hips. You don’t have to be tough
now. Let ’em loose. Let the hips rock back to front, as well as around in
circles.
Warm up your legs.
Stand on your toes and then lower your feet back to the floor. Stand on
one leg and shake out the other. Reverse to get the other leg in motion.
Move up on your tiptoes, and then drop back to the floor and bend your
knees.
Finally, take a nice deep breath and feel the energy flowing in your
body.
Getting your blood pumping while warming up helps you focus on your task
at hand. If you’re having trouble connecting your breath to your song, try
being more physical in your warm-up or practice session. One way to con-
nect your body is to shoot basketball granny shots. Bend your knees, drop
your arms between your legs, and throw the invisible ball up with two hands.
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Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine
Re
KV
EMBER
ar
MBER
ar
This motion gets you connected to your lower body and really helps you con-
nect energy to sing higher notes. If you shoot a regular free throw, you lift
your body up to sing the note. I want you to “think down” — releasing down
into your legs instead of pushing up — to sing the notes. See Chapter 3 for
more information about releasing down into the body and engaging your legs.
You can use any number of different physical movements.
Keep in mind that you want fluid motion. Any movements that cause you to
jerk your body are going to jerk the singing voice also. Doin’ the twist is better
than doing jumping jacks.
Warming up your voice
If you were scheduled to run a race this afternoon, would you just show up
and start running? I doubt it. You’d work for weeks or months to prepare
your body for the big event, and just before the race, you’d warm up your
body. That may sound odd for singing, but remember, your singing voice
is made up of muscles just like any other part of your body. These muscles
need a specific type of warm-up. Baseball players spend time stretching before
the big game, and you need to stretch your singing voice before practicing.
What’s the difference between practicing and warming up? A warm-up gets
your body ready for practicing. The difference between the end of the warm-
up and the start of the practice may be only slight. Think of the warm-up as
the beginning of your practice session. Everything that you do in the warm-up
leads you to the work you do in your practice session.
Vocal warm-ups include making sounds to get your singing voice awake and
ready to work out. Some good choices of warm-ups include the following:
Humming a familiar tune or one that you make up (see Chapter 6)
Sighing or doing vocal slides (see Chapters 5 and 6)
Doing lip trills (see Chapter 4) or tongue trills (see Chapter 6)
The basic ingredients of a good warm-up work the body, blood, and breath:
You get your body moving, your blood pumping, and your breath ready to
move out and sing.
Experimenting with different postures allows you to feel your entire body, as
well as the movement of the breath. Don’t always stand erect to sing — some-
times sit, squat, lie down, slump over, or create other positions that allow you
to explore what’s moving in your body as you breathe. Try singing in these vari-
ous positions, and then compare the feelings in your body to the feelings when
you're standing upright and singing. Watch out for any tension that may creep
into your body while you’re experimenting. If you’re momentarily confused
when you finally do stand up, review the alignment exercises in Chapter 3.
12]
1 22 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
ar
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Don’t let anyone’s comments discourage you from singing. Everyone is capa-
ble of singing well with practice. Have a family meeting to explain that you
won't tolerate tacky comments about your singing. Inform family members
that what they think of as joking is really unacceptable. Be tough! Take no pris-
oners! Train your friends and family to respect your practice time.
Exercising Vour Voice
This is huge! This is big! Inquiring minds want to know, what do you actually
practice and how do you practice it? I thought you’d never ask. You can find
many exercises throughout this book to help you develop your technique. By
breaking down the practice session, you develop a routine that touches on all
areas of your voice.
Picking exercises that work for you
The exercises for posture in Chapter 3 offer fun ways to create great posture.
After reading Chapter 3, choose the exercises that appeal the most to you
and write them in your practice journal. A practice journal is a notebook or
journal (on paper or on your computer) that you use to take notes on your
practice sessions. On each page, list the date and what exercise you need to
work on. This is your to-do list for your practice session. After your practice
session, write down what you discovered — what worked and what was
difficult — and any thoughts about what to include in the next practice ses-
sion. After working an exercise for a week, evaluate your progress. You may
be ready to add more exercises for posture. Go back to Chapter 3 and find
more exercises that work on another aspect of posture, and add them to
your practice journal for week two. You can apply this same process for each
chapter. Find exercises to begin your technical journey and add new exer-
cises weekly as you progress.
Picking singing exercises may seem more difficult than posture exercises.
The same principle is true for vocal exercises: Although you can pick any
exercise to practice, you may find it easier to start at the beginning of a chap-
ter and look for the exercises that start at your level. If you’ve never had any
lessons or any experience singing, then you’re at the right place. Welcome! I
wrote the chapters with your progression in mind. Readers who have some
knowledge of singing may start at any point in the chapter that suits their level
of expertise. If you haven’t done any singing training in a few years, start at the
beginning of the chapter and move at a faster pace to refresh your skills.
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Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine ] 23
Consider these big points when you’re working on singing exercises:
1#” Make sure that you read the instructions enough times so you can work
through the exercise and focus on your task.
The exercise is appropriate if it’s just above your level of expertise. If
you’ve never had singing training, you may feel overwhelmed at first.
However, this feeling will subside with practice because you'll gradu-
ally understand the terminology — the exercise will eventually become
second nature to you. If the exercise gets easier after a week, you’re on
the right track.
Reread the directions and instructions for the exercises often. After
working an exercise for a week, you may find something that you forgot
when you read the instructions again.
If an exercise is confusing, ask a friend to interpret it or practice it with
you. Watching other singers helps you discover a great deal about tech-
nique. Having to verbally explain an exercise to someone else helps you
articulate your ideas.
The biggest piece of advice I can offer about singing is that it requires
discipline. It’s really up to you to find the time to practice and improve
your technique. You have many tools in this book to help you, but the
tools need a user. Schedule the time, organize your session by choosing
the exercises, and have a blast!
Breaking it down
In any given practice session, you need a warm-up to get your body and brain
ready to focus and sing. Following the warm-up, work on each area of tech-
nique: posture, breath, articulation of vowels and consonants, resonance, and
tone production. Choose exercises that work your range, sing through patterns
that develop your ear, and find selections that combine acting and singing.
Breaking your session into specific areas to work on allows you to grow in each
of these areas without chucking your music out the window in frustration.
Also set goals for each practice session. Consider these sample goals for
each day’s practice:
Monday and Tuesday:
Explore two breathing exercises that work on quick inhalation and long
exhalation, and then apply that work to your song.
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1 24 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
Identify three vowels that you can work in exercises, and then apply that
work to your song.
Select three consonants that you can work in combination with the
vowels, and then apply that work to your song.
Wednesday and Thursday:
Review the two breathing exercises. If one of those exercises is going
well, add a third exercise.
Sing through the exercises from Monday and Tuesday, using the three
vowels. If you aren’t sure of the shape, review the explanation from the
group of exercises in Chapter 8. If your work on one of the vowels is
going well, add a fourth vowel.
Review the motion of the three consonants from Monday and Tuesday.
Work that motion of the consonants until it’s second nature. If your
work on those consonants is going well, add a fourth.
Friday and Saturday:
Review all exercises from the past four days. Make a new checklist for
adding exercises.
Add to the bottom of the list new vowels or consonants to work this
weekend.
Sunday:
Rest.
Start your to-do list for the practicing you'll do in the coming week.
You can choose any day to rest, but be sure to take one day off from practic-
ing each week.
Practicing Correctly
Correct practicing means that you’re making consistent improvement. You’re
applying the technical information that you gather in the book, and your
voice feels good as you’re singing. Your vocal cords don’t have pain recep-
tors, so you can’t assume that you'll feel pain if you do something wrong. If
you do feel pain, you may be squeezing too hard and constricting the mus-
cles surrounding your vocal cords. Feeling tired after practicing is normal.
You may have friends who can sing for hours without feeling tired, but they
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Chapter 10: Crafting a Practice Routine 125
ar
may have spent many years singing to build up their endurance. If your voice
gets tired after a reasonable amount of time singing, don’t worry about it.
After a month, however, if your voice still gets tired quickly, then you’re not
doing something right. For help, review the exercises for releasing tension in
Chapter 3, breathing exercises in Chapter 4, and especially the onset of tone
exercises in Chapter 6.
Recording yourself
Record your practice session each day to monitor improvement. The first
time you listen to a recording of yourself, you may not like it. That’s a per-
fectly normal reaction. Performing artists spend big bucks in the recording
studio, but they may not sound so perfect at home. The third time you hear
yourself on a recording, you'll be used to the sound. Listen for the details,
such as the precision of the vowel. Does it sound like an ah or uh? The two
vowels are similar, but you need to be able to distinguish them in the exer-
cise and in the text of the song. Record yourself saying ah and uh so that you
learn to feel and hear the difference. Then go back and listen to the record-
ing. You can also listen for silent inhalation (no gasping for air), smooth tran-
sitions between registers, varied sounds that you choose to create a vocal
journey in your song, or dynamic variations.
If you have a video camera handy, videotape yourself regularly to check out
your body language. (See Chapter 3 and Chapter 18 for information on body
language.) Watch the video three times in a row, to get used to your sound on
video. You can even watch the video without sound to really focus on your
body movement. Video cameras usually have better recording quality than a
cellphone, but a phone will work if that’s what you have available.
Applying information and exercises
As you read about each exercise in the book, give it a whirl. When you’ve
tried the exercise for a week, then you can decide whether it’s too crazy to
do. Most of the time, you can’t see the benefit of an exercise until you’ve
tried it a few times. You won’t know what you're capable of until you move
out of your comfort zone. Mastering some of the exercises takes some time,
whereas other exercises take only a few days to master. The first time you
try an exercise, you may be tempted to just skim through the explanation,
because you want to test it out. I totally understand. Make sure that you go
back later and read the entire explanation and work through each step. The
step you skip may be the most important one of the exercise.
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1 26 Part Il: Improving Your Singing
For each big concept, I offer several exercises. For those of you who are
visual, I offer a visualization exercise. Kinesthetic types (those who learn
through movement) can benefit from the movement description. Aural types
(folks who learn best using their ears) will be told what to listen to as you
practice the exercise. If you don’t know which you prefer, try them all!
Using the CD to practice exercises
This book’s CD has so many wonderful exercises that progress and gradually
get harder. If you’re a more advanced singer, skip to some of the later exer-
cises. If you’re a beginner, I recommend that you start at the beginning of the
book and work your way through each chapter. It may take a while, but you’ll
have plenty of fun along the way. Keep the CD handy in your practice space.
The exercises go in order of difficulty.
The CD may seem boring because it doesn’t have many bells and whistles,
but the simplicity of the piano and voices allows you to completely focus on
your technique. When your technique is really rocking, whip out the Karaoke
machine and wow your friends. Until then, use the CD to steadily work on
your technique.
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Part Ill
Advanced Techniques
to Improve Your Voice
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
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In this part...
J- exercises in this part are designed to give you an
incredible vocal workout. Your voice has many parts
that come together to make one seamless line from bottom
to top, and here you get to explore even more exercises to
develop your middle voice, chest voice, and head voice.
When you need a good challenge and some harder exercises,
this part helps you move to the next level by showing you
how to expand your range and add belting to your list of
skills.
I also discuss the issues of age — young and old — along
with the various musical styles. Finally, I round out the
part by giving you some tips for locating the right
instructor.
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Chapter 11
Developing the Parts of
Your Singing Voice
In This Chapter
Bridging the gap between voices
Using your chest voice for your lower pitches
Discovering what your head voice feels like
Getting a handle on falsetto
Switching into and out of the middle gracefully
ou have one glorious singing voice made up of three distinct parts or
registers: chest voice, middle voice, and head voice. As you may guess,
the notes in the middle part of your voice make up your middle voice, the
notes in the lower part of your voice make up your chest voice, and the notes
in the upper part of your voice make up your head voice.
To get a better idea of each part of the voice, you have to recognize how each
area of the voice relates to the others.
Chest voice: The thicker, heavier sound made in the lower part of your
voice. It makes vibrations in your chest while you sing.
Head voice: The higher part of your singing voice. It makes vibrations in
your head or skull as you sing.
¥ Middle voice: The bridge between your chest voice and your head
voice. It makes vibrations in your mouth and neck. Middle voice feels
similar to head voice for many female singers, and similar to chest voice
for many male singers. Some people call middle voice a mix because, in
this area of the voice, it’s neither 100 percent chest voice nor 100 per-
cent head voice. It’s a combination.
Specific muscles create head voice and chest voice; these muscles groups
work together to produce middle voice. In this chapter, you explore the bal-
ance of these muscle groups — middle voice. You then explore the mix you
can create from combining the parts of your singing voice. Falsetto is made
with head voice muscles but the vocal cords are thinner than in head voice.
130 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
EMBER
D
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Falsetto is the lightest sound the male voice can make. From this light falsetto
sound, men can add a faster airflow (which some people call more breath
compression) and high resonance, to make the note head voice dominated.
The female voice doesn’t have a falsetto, so the lightest sound women can
make is head voice.
Because the female and male voices are different, not all patterns and exer-
cises in this chapter apply equally to women and men. Some are easier for
women than they are for men; likewise, some are easier for men than they
are for women. Some even work different areas for women than they do for
men. For all exercises you encounter, | provide clear information on how each
works for both women and men. Practice all the exercises in this chapter, no
matter what part of the voice they work. The ultimate goal is to strengthen all
parts of your voice — chest, middle, and head — so that they work together
as a team to create beautiful sound.
If you’re singing an exercise designed for the other gender, I recommend that
you sing it up or down an octave. The distance between one note and the
next note up or down of the same name is called an octave. For example, the
distance between two Cs is one octave: If you start counting at the first C and
count eight white notes up on the piano, you find another C.
Finding Vour Middle Voice
Your middle voice is the bridge between your chest voice and head voice.
For women, middle voice feels like a lighter version of chest voice and a
fuller, thicker version of head voice. For men, the middle voice feels lighter
than chest voice or head voice and fuller than falsetto. The singers on the
CD demonstrate these sounds for you so you can explore the sounds and
sensations for yourself. You can explore your middle voice or even build one
if yours is missing in action. Continue reading to get an idea of what your
middle voice feels like and when to use it.
Noting your middle voice range
The relationship of your middle voice to chest and head voice is the same,
no matter who you are. But how your middle voice works, when it works, and
the transitions to watch for all depend on whether you’re a woman or a man.
Figure 11-1 shows you the average female middle voice range. In the begin-
ning, your middle voice may be weak as you try to figure out how to reach
these notes without transitioning to head or chest voice. Depending on the
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice 13 ]
song, you can take your middle voice as low as you want. If your voice gets
too fuzzy or weak on the really low notes, you may need to transition into
chest voice. The exercises in this chapter help you figure out how and when
to make that transition. When you sense the vibrations in your mouth and
throat, you can easily maintain your middle voice sound while you sing.
PC
Figure 11-1:
Female s
middle voice
range.
E F above Middle C (F4) to the next F (F5)
Figure 11-2 shows you the average male middle voice range. (Exceptions
are tenors who may transition into middle voice higher than the range in
Figure 11-2.) The men’s middle voice range isn’t as large as the women’s
range; you may not notice a huge change when you enter this range. So under-
standing how your middle voice feels is important, especially when you transi-
tion from high notes or low notes. Your middle voice is less thick than chest
voice and not light and spinning like head voice; it’s a sound and sensation
that’s in between, vibrating around your mouth and throat. If you try to push
up a heavy sound from the bottom, it may take you longer to gain secure con-
trol over your high notes. You get an opportunity in this chapter to work out
your voice so you can easily maintain middle voice when necessary.
ba]
Figure 11-2: J: f H
Male middle
voice range.
A A below Middle C (A3) to E above Middle C (E4)
Singing in middle voice
The following exercises give you a chance to work your middle voice by
itself. Follow along with the CD and get a feel for where your middle voice is
and how it feels to sing in middle voice.
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132 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
ECD
g% On this track, listen to the singers sing the pattern in Figure 11-3. The sound
AP À you hear is middle voice. Use the vowels listed underneath to help you find
your middle voice sound.
Guys: Middle voice for a male singer isn’t nearly as wide a range as the
middle voice for a female. I designed this exercise with the female voice
in mind. Sing along with the male voice on the track, but know that
you’re moving from middle voice to chest voice if you sing the pattern
down one octave.
Dolls: Figure 11-3 was designed specifically with your middle voice range
in mind.
i
Figure 11-3: >
Taking it d # g |
down.
EES
ah oh ooh
Figure 11-4 shows a pattern that helps you explore your middle voice by grad-
ually working your way up to the top of your middle voice.
Guys: I designed this exercise with the female voice in mind. A male
voice sings along so you guys know what to do when you join in. This
pattern starts just below your middle voice but gradually works its way
into middle voice. Listen to the male voice sing the pattern for you so
you know what the male voice sounds like. Notice that the difference in
feeling between the notes in chest voice and middle voice is only slight
in the first few repetitions of this pattern. You feel a change as the notes
get higher in your middle voice.
Dolls: The female voice demonstrates the sounds for you on the CD so
you can hear the sound of a female middle voice. This pattern purposely
starts low in your middle voice. Notice how the vibrations change
slightly as you move higher in pitch. You sing the pattern to the top of
your middle voice.
C
Figure 11-4: 2 2 |
i ]
Descending e bel = ba
by step.
| ee
ooh
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice 133
The pattern in Figure 11-5 specifically works the male middle voice range. Ladies,
you can work your middle voice when singing this pattern if you sing the pat-
tern one octave higher than what’s written in the figure. On the CD, you hear a
male singer demonstrate the pattern using his middle voice. Notice that as he
gets higher in pitch, he attempts to lighten the sound instead of making it bigger.
Guys: Your starting note is the first note that the piano plays. The pat-
tern gradually moves through your middle voice range. You can feel
that the sound is higher than your speaking voice, but not as high as the
sounds you make in the highest part of your range.
Dolls: Even though the pattern in Figure 11-5 is written down an octave,
sing the patterns an octave higher than written to work your middle
voice. Listen to the piano play the second note, which is the note you
use to start this pattern. This pattern also works your middle voice, but
it’s written out differently than the patterns in Figures 11-3 and 11-4 so
that the men can understand where their middle voice starts.
————
Figure 11-5: —¢y-—® ° o
igure GH te 2 2 |
Gliding
through the
middle. 1. moh
2. may
Listen as the male singer demonstrates the pattern in Figure 11-6 in his middle
voice. The sound is lighter than chest voice, but not as high or light as head voice.
Guys: This pattern sits right in your middle voice range. Notice how
the male voice sounds as the singer starts the note solidly in his middle
voice. You’ll want to open the space in the back of your mouth and
throat and take a breath before you begin the pattern.
¥ Dolls: This pattern is in your middle voice range if you sing the pattern
one octave higher than what’s written on the page. Use the vowel listed
underneath the pattern, just as the guys do.
al 11-6: TRACK 18
oving
along the ——9 e te f- je e e
four in mid- X: |
dle voice.
PC aw
134 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Checking Out Vour Chest Voice
Figure 11-7:
Chest voice
range for
women.
A
Figure 11-8:
Chest voice
range
for men.
as
Chest voice is that thicker, heavier sound in the lower part of your voice that
makes vibrations in your chest when you’re singing. You may have felt it take
over a time or two, whether you wanted it to or not. The trick to singing in
chest voice is knowing how and when to use it. If you need to find out how
high to take your chest voice — or even how to find your chest voice, if you
haven’t been introduced — continue reading to learn to have a strong but
controlled chest voice.
Zeroing in on your chest Voice range
Singing in chest voice can be such a powerful feeling. However, you have to be
fair to your middle voice and not let chest voice take over too soon. Explore
your range so you know how soon is too soon to transition to chest voice.
In Figure 11-7, you can see the average female chest voice range. Chest voice
is a strong part of the female voice — often stronger than the middle voice —
and you may want to strengthen your middle voice. You need to know your
chest voice range. If you take chest voice too high, you can weaken your
middle voice. Remember that you can always switch out of chest voice
sooner, but preferably not later, than the range given in Figure 11-7.
—
G below Middle C (G3) to E (E4)
Figure 11-8 shows the average range of chest voice for men. Most men speak
in chest voice, so they often already have a strong chest voice. You can
develop yours if you think it’s weak, and explore the difference between your
chest voice and middle voice.
F about an octave and a half below Middle C
(or lower) to Ab below Middle C (Ab3)
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice 135
Distinguishing chest voice and belt
do at home around the dinner table when the
discussion of politics gets heated, and it’s also
what you do when you call out for a taxi to stop.
Chest voice and belt aren't the same. Chest
voice is a thick, strong part of your lower range
and has a much heavier and deeper sound than
belt. The belt has a brassy sound and may sound
like a healthy version of yelling; it may sound
like it's dominated by chest voice sounds, but
belting should have the ease of middle voice. A
good belt is developed from the speaking voice.
If you're interested in belting, you can check out
Chapter 13 for belting exercises. But don’t rush
to those exercises unless your middle voice is
really strong and you can distinguish between
Most people who aren't fans of belting refer to it gnesivaice amel miele veire.
as yelling on pitch. But, hey, belting is what you
Feeling your chest voice
You may already know what’s supposed to be your chest voice (if not, see
the section “Zeroing in on your chest voice range,” earlier in this chapter),
but maybe you still aren’t sure what it actually is. The best way to tell is to
feel it. Try some of the following exercises so you can feel those chest voice
vibrations.
The pattern in Figure 11-9 gives you your first opportunity to find your chest
voice. Listen to the singers on the CD to hear the sounds they make in chest
voice. Notice that the sound is full and thick. Identify the sensations in your
body and try to feel the vibrations as you sing.
Guys: This exercise is purposely really low. Some men can sing low, and
I want you to see whether your voice can sing low notes. Even if you
can’t, with time you may find that the notes get stronger. Some tenors
may not be able to sing this pattern because it’s so low. (See Chapter 2
for more information on the tenor range.) Try it several times — if it’s
just too low, find other patterns in the chapter that aren’t quite so low,
or sing up an octave for a few repetitions. Your starting note is the first
note that the piano plays.
Dolls: The first couple of repetitions are low for you. Some women can
sing quite low, so the pattern gives you the opportunity to see how low
you can sing in chest voice. With practice, you may find that the pat-
terns gradually get easier and that you gain some strength on lower
notes. The second note that the piano plays is your starting note for
this pattern.
136 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Figure 11-9:
Singing
fourth.
E
Figure 11-10:
Bringing up
chest voice.
D]
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t be m hd be = T |
The pattern in Figure 11-10 begins on ah, an open vowel, to help you start with
a thicker chest voice sound. You can stay in chest voice the entire time you
sing this pattern.
eH
q
= ol
Guys: Gentlemen, sing the pattern in Figure 11-10 down an octave from
what’s written on the page. You can hear the male voice on the CD dem-
onstrate for you. The pattern begins low and gradually moves higher
in pitch. You can continue working on this pattern on your own and go
higher in pitch. If you find the pattern too low for you, sing it as it’s writ-
ten on the page or wait until the pattern gets high enough for you.
Dolls: This pattern stays in your chest voice range. If your voice is high,
you may find the first few repetitions of this pattern quite low. Try sing-
ing it to feel the vibrations of chest voice and gradually widen the space
in your throat and mouth as you move higher in pitch.
<< ————
$l
$|
S è
= QH
Aiming High with Head Voice
The higher part of your singing voice is called head voice because most
people feel the vibrations in their head or skull while singing in head voice.
Having a head voice for singing is necessary to access those really high notes
in the song. For women, the notes in the middle part of your voice may not
feel much different from the higher notes. As you move from the middle
part of your voice to your head voice, you want to lighten up the sound. In
other words, you want to think of head voice as if it’s lighter — lighter in the
amount of effort or pressure in your throat. You may feel like you open your
mouth and the sound just comes flying out.
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice 13 7
TE
Figure 11-11:
Female head
voice range.
a
a
Figure 11-12:
Male head
voice range.
Dn
Finding your head voice range
Just as women struggle with the transition between the chest voice and
middle voice, men have a tough transition moving into head voice. With
some practice, men can successfully maneuver in this area of the voice.
Figure 11-11 shows the average female head voice range. Ladies, you may not
feel much difference between your head voice and your middle voice until
you get quite high in your head voice, because the vibrations gradually move
up into your head as you go higher in pitch. You also feel a slight change as
you descend. You may want to explore some of the patterns that leap around
so you can really feel how the vibrations change. Mezzos may have more of
a struggle with head voice than sopranos. (See Chapter 2 for more informa-
tion about the differences between a mezzo and soprano.) At the transition
to head voice, you may find some notes unreliable in the beginning. Keep
practicing and you'll figure out how to work your head voice, using the sug-
gestions in this chapter.
ae
F about an octave and a half above Middle C
(F5) and up
Figure 11-12 shows the average male head voice range. For men, working on
head voice is important for a good balance when you sing. But I recommend
that you work on your falsetto before attempting to push your head voice too
high. If your voice feels strained as you work on the higher patterns, working
your falsetto (see “Discovering your falsetto” later in this chapter) until you
can move in and out of it makes the exercises in this chapter more comfort-
able. You can also go back to the middle voice exercises until that part of
your voice works easily. When you understand the feelings of middle voice,
you can more easily understand when you're pushing too hard for head voice
in ascending patterns.
F above Middle C (F4) and up
138 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
ar
Figure 11-13:
Working
with closed
vowels.
PCS
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Feeling head voice
Male and female singers feel the vibrations from singing in head voice in their
head or skull. As you explore your head voice in this chapter, place your hand
on the crown of your head, which is the top back part of your head. You can also
put your hand on the back of your neck to feel the vibrations as you move up in
pitch. As you ascend, you may feel the vibrations move from your neck or mouth
to your head. When you get really high, you may feel the vibrations on the very
top of your head. Singers can feel the vibrations in different locations, but you
can explore how the vibrations change places as you ascend in pitch. Also be
aware of the sensations in your mouth as you sing in head voice. You may feel
sound on the roof of your mouth, on your hard palate, or even in the front of your
face. All these vibration locations help you find the sensations of head voice.
A great way to feel head voice is to sing closed vowels. When you sing closed
vowels, your mouth isn’t as wide open. For example, ah is wider open than
ee, so ee is a closed vowel and ah is an open vowel. (Check out Chapter 8 for
more information on vowels.) The closed vowels are helpful for singing in
your head voice because the sound is lighter than with open vowels and cre-
ates vibrations that are easier to feel. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use
open vowels like ah in head voice; it just means that you can explore the sen-
sations of head voice more easily with closed vowels and then take that same
ease and feeling of vibrations into your open vowels.
When you sing the pattern shown in Figure 11-13, find the same spin to the
tone and feel the vibrations in your head. By aiming the vowels out in front of
you, you’re more likely to feel the vibrations in your head. Listen to the sing-
ers on the CD demonstrate head voice. As you try the pattern, follow these
steps to make it easier to sing in head voice:
1. Find your alignment.
See Chapter 3 for tips on finding your alignment.
2. Take a breath.
Check out Chapter 4 if you need more details on breath work.
3. Open the space in the back of your mouth and throat while lifting
your soft palate.
Chapter 7 tells you what you need to know about this step.
SSSI
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice 139
Bobbing for pitches
A common misconception about singing is that
you have to move your head up to sing high
notes and put your head down to sing low notes.
It may work for you in the beginning, but you
may look funny bobbing your head when you
start singing harder songs. Instead of bobbing
your head, allow yourself some time to work on
the exercises listed in each of the chapters so
the muscles inside your larynx figure out how to
do their job. If those muscles have never worked
out, they need a little time to learn what to do
when you sing high notes. Raising your head
tenses your vocal cords because it prevents the
thyroid cartilage in your larynx from tilting. The
tilt is supposed to happen as you change pitch,
but tilting the thyroid cartilage isn't the same as
lifting your larynx. The tilt should happen natu-
rally — you don't have to control it. You want
your larynx and your head to stay steady as the
muscles inside your throat do their job.
Listen to the singers on the CD sing the pattern in Figure 11-14. Notice that
the sound is light and high, as if the sound is spinning out of the mouth. If you
open the space in your throat and mouth and apply proper breathing tech-
nique, head voice often feels like the sound is just flying out of your mouth. If
the feeling is heavy and takes much effort, you’re using too much weight or
engaging the muscles that create chest voice.
CdS
Figure 11-14: fy o e ra
Spinning |
out in head
voice. 1. Wee
—EE 2. Wooh
Let’s
Hear It for the Boys:
Figuring Out Falsetto
The male voice has three registers, similar to the female voice: chest voice,
middle voice, and head voice. The difference for the male singer is falsetto —
the lighter part of your singing voice that sounds feminine. The notes in your
falsetto are in the same range as your head voice, but the vocal cords are
thin, like a stretched-out rubber band. Falsetto feels lighter or higher than
your head voice. If you attempt to sing really high notes, you may even flip
into falsetto.
] 4 0 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
ar
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Falsetto is an important area of your voice and needs to be developed to
strengthen the head voice. Your head voice may be weak in the beginning
of your singing training; you can explore sounds on high notes by singing
in your falsetto and then later, when you have more strength, work on the
same notes using your head voice. When the muscles that create head voice
get stronger, you'll be able to sing the same notes in head voice that you
originally could sing only precariously with your head voice or in falsetto.
Experience the sounds that you can make with falsetto, and strengthen
your falsetto. You may hear voice teachers referring to falsetto as your head
voice, but I think using both terms is easier so you know exactly what kind of
sounds to make.
Ladies, you can sing the figures in this section by using your middle voice or
chest voice.
Discovering your falsetto
If you’ve ever imitated a woman, by either speaking or singing, you’ve found
your falsetto. Your falsetto may not be really strong, but giving it a good
workout for singing is important so that you can strengthen your head voice.
On the CD, listen as the singer demonstrates falsetto sounds. Notice that the
falsetto is light, unlike your speaking voice; it’s similar to your voice when you
were younger. Now try finding your falsetto by using the following tips:
1# First slide around above Middle C. Most men can sing in falsetto from
about the A below Middle C up to as high as they’re comfortable. The
male singer on the CD demonstrates in the correct range for you.
Allow yourself to just make sounds in your falsetto to get used to the
feeling. You don’t have to slide high in pitch, but slide around on the
ooh vowel enough that you can check the position of your larynx as you
ascend. See Chapter 5 for help in finding your larynx.
As in other areas of your voice, keep the larynx steady as you ascend in
pitch. Take a breath and check the position of your larynx.
Keep the soft palate lifted as you slide around in pitch and as you sing
the patterns.
If your larynx moves up as you begin the first note, start on a lower
pitch. Remember to open the space as you inhale so your larynx can
descend.
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice
Figure 11-15:
Checking
out your
falsetto.
ar
Experiencing your falsetto
When you find your falsetto (see the previous section, “Discovering your fal-
setto”), singing in it gives you an idea of how it’s supposed to feel and helps
you strengthen both your falsetto and your head voice. Experience how it feels
to sing in your falsetto by trying the exercises in Figures 11-15 through 11-18.
Sing through the pattern in Figure 11-15 to explore sounds in your falsetto.
Listen to the male singer on the CD demonstrate in his falsetto. Check that
your larynx isn’t rising. (See Chapter 5 for help finding your larynx.) As you
sing the pattern, open the space in the back of your mouth and throat.
6a 5 |
e ¢ Ce
ooh
Most beginners don’t need to sing beyond the octave above Middle C in their
falsetto range. You can certainly work it higher if you think you’re a higher
voice type, to help develop your High C and D. Work on your falsetto for at
least three weeks or until it’s easy for you to keep your larynx steady and
make clear sounds. Then move on to the exercises in the “Descending from
falsetto” section, coming up next in this chapter.
Descending from falsetto
The patterns listed in this section help you work from your falsetto down
to your middle voice and chest voice. This exercise may seem out of place
because you're focusing on your falsetto. However, the goal is to use the easy
feeling of falsetto and get your notes in your middle voice to have that same
ease of sound without pressure. Figure 11-16 allows you to flip out of falsetto
down into your chest voice so you can really feel the difference between
them. After you experience the flip, you can develop smooth transitions by
gliding down from falsetto instead of falling down. You may want to visualize
the lower note in front of you to prevent the bottom note from falling down
and creating a big crack between the notes. When the notes in your middle
voice are feeling easy, you want to find that same sensation of moving from
falsetto to head voice with ease. The long-term benefit is that you'll be able
to easily sing a song or musical pattern that moves from middle voice to
head voice because you know how to thin out your rubber band. The shift
may be bumpy in the beginning, and that’s normal. As the transitions get
141
] 4 2 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Dn
Figure 11-16:
Flipping out
of falsetto.
Dn
e jo NS
Figure 11-17:
Gliding
down out of
falsetto.
han =. 3
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smoother, you can make the shift more easily. Go ahead and let it bump for
now. Preventing the bump entirely prevents you from feeling the difference
between the two sounds.
Using the pattern in Figure 11-16, sing from your falsetto and flip down into
your middle voice (or chest voice) on the last five repetitions of the pattern
on the CD. Let the sound flip and make a noticeable change. You want to allow
big changes when you move between the pitches in the beginning. The more
you work this transition, the more confident you'll feel making a smooth tran-
sition later. When this pattern is easy for you (usually after several weeks of
practice), sing the pattern in Figure 11-17 and make a smooth transition to the
bottom note.
eF]
ooh - ah
In Figure 11-16, you flipped and bumped out of falsetto. In this pattern (see
Figure 11-17), sing the first note in falsetto and slide down into your middle
voice (or chest voice, on the last three repetitions) on the vowels, as written.
You may feel confused in the beginning when you’re making the transitions.
To help smooth the transition, think of gliding down or sliding between the
notes, and gradually open the space in your throat as you slide down. Give
yourself some time to explore a smooth transition as you descend in pitch. The
more you practice, the more secure you'll feel moving down out of falsetto.
——
ooh - oh - ah
Ascending into falsetto
Follow the directions for the exercises and explore the sensations of moving
into the lighter sound of falsetto from the heavier feelings of chest voice or
middle voice. The benefit of this exercise is that, with practice, you can figure
out how to make the transition up to falsetto or your head voice. Your head
voice will be stronger because you'll know how to sing the notes without
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice ] 43
adding heavy pressure or thickness, as if you were pulling a rubber band and
it remained thick. Move on to the pattern in Figure 11-18 when you feel confi-
dent of your progress in the previous patterns.
really slide between the pitches for
transition in and out of falsetto. As
Following Figure 11-18, sing the first note in your chest voice and then slide
up into falsetto. Keep the slide back down as smooth as possible. It’s okay to
now. If you feel it bump as you make the
transition, keep working and allow the bump to happen. Later you may find
that the bump gets smoother as you get more accustomed to making this
you slide up into falsetto, you feel the reso-
nance climbing higher in your head.
ee
Figure 11-18: 6 g |
Sliding up to —t a
falsetto. oe
E Slide: ah - ooh - ah
Singing songs that
Falsetto isn't just for exercises — you can
find songs that allow you to use those sounds.
Check out these songs that use falsetto. You
can find even more if you want an opportunity
to use your newly found falsetto.
1# "Big Girls Don't Cry” and “Sherry Baby,” as
sung by The Four Seasons
1# “Bring Him Home,” from Les Misérables, by
Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
1# "Buddy's Blues,” from Follies, by Stephen
Sondheim
“Corner of the Sky,” and “With You,” from
Pippin, by Stephen Schwartz
“Cryin’,” as sung by Roy Orbison
yw “Maria,” from West Side Story, by Leonard
Bernstein
use your falsetto
1# “Music of the Night,” from Phantom of the
Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber
1# “The Old Red Hills of Home,” from Parade,
by Jason Robert Brown
If you want to listen a performer using a vari-
ety of sounds, listen to “Ben,” “Billie Jean,”
and “I Just Can't Stop Loving You,” as sung
by Michael Jackson. In these three songs,
Michael uses a variety of sounds and parts of
his voice. He uses his falsetto, a mix, and belt.
In “Billie Jean,” he uses his falsetto when he
says “on the dance”; he uses his mix in the
very beginning of the song; and he belts when
he says “people always told me be careful
what you do.”
] 4 4 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Making a Smooth Transition
Middle voice is the bridge between head voice and chest voice, so you want
to move easily in and out of middle voice. You may always feel a transition
between the two registers, but the goal is to not hear a big change between the
two. So you need to figure out where to make those transitions. Comparing the
sound and feel of your middle voice to your chest voice and head voice is the
easiest way to figure that out. To find out how you can transition smoothly and
purposefully to avoid drastic changes in your sound, keep reading.
It may be a little tricky in the beginning to get all the transitions to happen
smoothly — keep trying and keep practicing.
Maneuvering in and out of chest voice
Knowing when to make the middle voice transitions can be tricky. As you
sing each descending or ascending pattern, notice how it feels — you should
be able to feel your chest voice wanting to take over or give up to middle
voice. Knowing what’s too low for your middle voice and what’s too high for
your chest voice allows you to figure out where you need to make the tran-
sition from middle voice to chest voice. Practicing the exercises helps you
make those transitions smoothly.
Descending from middle voice to chest voice
The following exercises work on your transition from middle voice into chest
voice. Because you just found your middle voice, you may not be sure what
the difference is in the feeling between chest voice and middle voice. The pat-
tern in Figure 11-19 gives you the chance to explore the differences in sound,
vibrations, and feeling.
The pattern in Figure 11-19 moves from middle voice to chest voice. The sen-
sations are a bit different, and moving down in scale enables you to feel the
changes as you move into chest voice. As you move into chest voice from
middle voice, you want to open the space in your throat instead of pressing
down. The resonance gradually moves lower as you descend.
Guys: Gentlemen, this pattern challenges you to sing from your middle
voice to your chest voice. The first time you hear the pattern played,
you sing the first two notes in your middle voice and then move to chest
voice. As the pattern gets lower, you can move into chest voice sooner.
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice ] 45
Notice the slight difference in feeling between the notes in middle voice
and the notes in chest voice.
Dolls: Sing the first repetition of this pattern in middle voice. Make the
transition into chest voice on the bottom note. As the pattern gets lower
in pitch, you may need to switch to chest voice sooner. No matter how
low the pattern goes, always sing the top note in your middle voice.
——
Figure 11-19: 5
Smoothing 2 |
: e
the transi- 6 ł fe a l ?
tions.
E oh —_____ ah
Ascending from chest voice to middle voice
The exercise in this section moves from chest voice back up to middle
voice. This may be difficult for you in the beginning. Just as it’s easier to
gain weight than to lose it, moving from middle voice to chest voice is often
easier because it’s like getting thicker and gaining weight. Moving from chest
voice to middle voice is about losing weight. Practice the middle voice pat-
terns until you’re confident of the sounds and feelings of middle voice. You
can then work this exercise, which moves from middle voice to chest voice.
When you're really confident, try the exercise in Figure 11-20.
Remember what it felt like to make that transition from middle voice to chest
voice? The feeling gradually got thicker as you went down the scale. The
reverse happens in the pattern in Figure 11-20. You need to gradually lighten
the sound as you ascend in pitch — the vowels listed help you move from a
heavier chest voice sound and lighten up as you ascend into middle voice. If
you find a lighter chest voice sound that moves easily from the bottom into
middle voice, you’ve found the gold mine. If you aren’t sure what it should
sound like, listen to the singers a few times to hear the differences.
Guys: The first two repetitions of the pattern are in chest voice. The
third repetition moves from chest voice to middle voice on the top note.
Allow the sound to lighten or use less pressure as you ascend.
Dolls: The first couple of repetitions start in chest voice and move to
middle voice on the top note. As the pattern gets higher with each rep-
etition, you can transition to middle voice sooner. Try to sing the top
notes lighter than the bottom notes.
146
Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Figure 11-20:
Creating a
legato line
in and out of
chest voice.
P|
ant CD
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eo
o° od
1. oh
Transitioning in and out of head voice
Ascending to head voice means that you have to let go of the thick weight of
chest voice or middle voice and lighten up the sound. You may have to go
overboard at first to lighten the sound without squeezing your throat. The
key is to feel the sound vibrating higher in your head. (See the “Feeling head
voice” section, earlier in this chapter.)
Ascending from middle voice to head voice
Taking the middle voice too high keeps the head voice from getting its fair
share of the workout. It also strengthens your middle voice while weakening
your head voice. The transitions in your voice also become more difficult if
you try to push a middle voice sound too high. The transition notes won’t
be dependable because you’! try to sing them heavy, and maintaining that
heavy sound can be tricky. You can make a choice of when to change to head
voice in a particular song, but in the exercises, you want to keep the head
voice strong by switching as early as possible.
Work the exercise in Figure 11-21 to help you feel the transition from middle
voice to head voice. Notice that the pattern has rests in it for you to detach
the notes. Make sure that you transition into head voice instead of carrying
up middle voice. Notice, too, that the vowels are laid out so that your sound is
thicker at the bottom and gradually lightens as you ascend.
Guys: This pattern starts in your chest voice, but you definitely move
through your middle voice on your way up to head voice. As you ascend
in pitch, you may be tempted to sing a full, heavy sound. Instead, feel
the vibrations changing as you ascend and allow the sound to lighten,
with less pressure in your throat on the higher notes.
Dolls: Sing this pattern moving back and forth between middle voice and
head voice. With each repetition, you can change to head voice sooner.
As you descend in the pattern, notice how the middle voice feels heavier
than head voice.
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice ] 4 7
FCs
Figure 11-21: TRACK 30
Working ` ` ` `
from middle — oe te oe 2 2 2 |
voice to -i
head voice. —
n ah oh ooh oh ah
Descending from head voice to middle voice
When moving from head voice to middle voice, the sound and sensations
gradually thicken as you move down the scale. Taking head voice too low
creates a light sound, and if the sound in the middle part of the voice is too
light, it’s harder to make yourself heard. Try the exercises in this section to
smooth that transition from head voice to middle voice.
In the pattern in Figure 11-22, you start on the high note of the pattern and
work your way to the bottom. Find the spinning feeling of head voice on the
first note, and gradually let the sound grow thicker as you descend. You may
even feel the sound moving from your head to your mouth or your neck as
you descend. That’s just fine. The pattern starts slowly and gradually gets
faster. Take your time. You may need to repeat the first few slower patterns to
get accustomed to making the transition before you tackle the faster patterns.
Guys: As you descend in this pattern, you land in chest voice. It’s a great
pattern for you to sing moving from your head voice down through your
middle voice. If the top notes are too high for you right now, start in
falsetto. Later, when you’re more confident, you can start in head voice.
(See Chapter 13 for help with falsetto.)
Dolls: This pattern moves from head voice to middle voice. Some of the
later repetitions move to your chest voice. If the first few repetitions are
too high, join in whenever you can as the pattern descends.
Le = He e
# i e
Figure 11-22: 6 = E e g ? ? |
Spinning —
down. J. oh h
mus 2 th
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] 4 8g Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Mixing It Up
Mix is asound commonly used in contemporary music that you hear on the
radio or in musicals. If middle voice is a transition between chest voice and
head voice and uses a balance of those muscle groups, then mix occurs when
you choose to vary the balance. If middle voice is a 50/50 balance of head
voice and chest voice, the mix may shift those percentages. For example, you
may want to use 70 percent chest voice and 30 percent head voice, to create
a sound that is fuller or thicker than middle voice. Other times you may want
the mix to be 40 percent chest voice and 60 percent head voice; with more
head voice mixed in, this sound is lighter than chest voice but fuller than
head voice. You create these variations by changing the combination of reso-
nance, weight, and breath compression. Mix is appropriate for almost any
style of singing, but it isn’t as commonly used in classical music.
The terminology can be confusing, but I want you to know the phrases you
may hear from other singers:
A heavy mix or a mix that has more than 50 percent chest voice is often
called a chest-dominated mix because it feels full like chest voice and
sounds similar to chest voice. The difference is that it isn’t pure chest
voice; it has some head voice mixed in.
1# Likewise, a mix that’s lighter or has more than 50 percent head voice in
it is often called a head voice-dominated mix.
No measuring scale can tell you the percentages; you discover how to hear
the amount of weight or resonance in a sound and know that it’s a mix.
Make the most of your mix, man
Men, as your falsetto gets stronger, it’s time to mix it up to strengthen the
notes that were once purely falsetto sounds. In the male voice, when the
muscles that create chest voice and head voice work at the same time, it’s
called a mix. If you use a blend of 50 percent chest voice and 50 percent head
voice, you’re describing what happens in the middle part of your voice. You
can also vary that percentage to use more chest voice or head voice, or mix
up the percentage. Depending on where you are in your range, the mix can
be more head voice dominated or chest voice dominated. In singing just one
note, you can start in falsetto and then add faster airflow and a high reso-
nance to make the note head voice dominated. This head voice—-dominated
mix is more common at the higher end of the male voice; a chest voice—domi-
nated mix is more common in the chest voice range. If you add some weight
or thickness as you sing the note and keep the resonance low, you move into
a mix that is chest voice dominated. Mix for the male voice is similar to mix
for the female voice because you can vary the amount of weight and reso-
nance you use when you mix.
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Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice ] 4 9
Figure 11-23:
Sliding into
a mix.
Mix requires you to find a balance of the muscles that create head voice and chest
voice. If the muscles that help you create chest voice are too active while you
try to sing high notes, the sound becomes heavy and may even break or crack.
Allowing the muscles that create head voice or chest voice to engage at the appro-
priate time ensures smooth transitions from the top of your voice to the bottom.
Remember that you can sing the exact same notes two different ways: You can
sing the F just above Middle C in your falsetto or in your head voice. Having
the strength to make either choice gives you a chance to decide what kind of
sound you want to make in each song.
Listen while a male singer demonstrates the pattern in Figure 11-23, which
moves from falsetto into a mix. Notice that as he descends, he drops into a
sound that’s not heavy. The sound is lighter, yet has fullness just like head
voice. The feeling is of less pressure in the throat.
TRACK 32
ed oe A
e oO
Get into the mix, gals
Ladies, you can explore the female mix in this section. The female mix is a
sound that you can use when you want to make a thicker sound in the middle
part of your voice. Mix is appropriate for almost any style of singing but isn’t
as commonly used in classical music.
You can use the female mix when you want to make a thicker sound in the
middle part of your voice, so you want to work your middle voice until it’s
quite strong. Work on the speaking voice exercises so you have command
over the onset of tone, and then tackle mix. (See Chapter 13 for more on
your speaking voice.) Using mix is appropriate when you don’t want to use
a belt sound (see Chapter 13) or when you want to explore different sounds
to express the text of your song. Some songs don’t need a heavy chest voice
sound, but instead need a sound that’s rich and full, like a mix.
To find your mix, try the opposite of what you normally do to sing in middle
voice. To sing from middle voice to head voice normally, you gradually
lighten the sound as you ascend in pitch. To strengthen your mix, I want you
to avoid lightening the sound into head voice as you ascend.
Gentlemen, the patterns in Figures 11-24 and 11-25 are fine for you to sing. You
can sing the patterns in your falsetto if you’re just getting the hang of your fal-
setto. If your falsetto is pretty secure, you can sing the patterns in a mix.
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150 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Listen to the singer demonstrate the pattern in Figure 11-24, using a mix.
Notice how she ascends in pitch and how the sound vibrates in the same
place in her body. As you sing through the pattern, think of singing straight
out. Allow the tone to move out in front of you and not rise higher in your
head as you ascend in pitch. This feels odd at first, but you’ll gradually sense
the sound getting wider as you ascend in pitch. You can also think of your
chest opening wide as you move up in pitch. I pretend that I’m swimming into
the tone. As you swim toward the tone, open your arms and your body to
move into the sound. You can also imagine your chest and throat opening to
make more room for the sound. Because you normally allow the resonance
to move higher as you ascend into head voice, you want to keep the space
open so the resonance stays down as you move higher in a mix. Keeping the
resonance down (instead of allowing it to rise to your head as you normally do
when you ascend) makes it sound as if you ascend and stay in chest voice.
— 6, <==
Figure 11-24: 1. ee
Mixing itup. 2. ay
ee D. eh
Mixers
You can hear some pretty terrific women dem-
onstrate a mix. Listen to Mary Martin sing “Why
Shouldn't 1?” or Barbara Cook sing “Chain of
Love.” Barbra Streisand is another famous
mixer. Listen to her singing “Memory,” from
Cats. In the very beginning of the song, she’s
mixing; later in the song, you can hear her belt-
ing. Dionne Warwick uses her mix in “Walk On
By.” Listen closely to the sound she uses when
she says “walk on by.” That's the sound of her
mix. Linda Eder uses her mix at the beginning
of the song “When | Look at You,” from Scarlet
Pimpernel. In the beginning of the song, she
alternates between a chest voice—dominated
mix and a head voice—dominated mix. Listen
to the difference in the weight of the sound.
The chest voice—dominated mix sounds a little
heavier. You can also listen to Rebecca Luker,
whose work you may know from Broadway
shows such as The Sound of Music or Mary
Poppins. Listen to her song “River” on her
album to hear her using her mix. If you want
to try out some songs to explore your mix, try
these two: “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,”
from Jesus Christ Superstar, and “It Might As
Well Be Spring,” from State Fair. Because of
the story, the first song requires a chest voice—
dominated mix and the second song requires a
head voice—dominated mix. Develop your regis-
ters and then work on the mix exercises in this
chapter.
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Have you ever heard a woman sing notes that
sounded higher than any note on the piano?
Those wicked high notes that females sing have
several different names: flute register, bell reg-
ister, flageolet, and whistle register. | use the
term whistle, because in the beginning, you
feel that the sounds are squealing out of your
body like a whistling teakettle. If you're a really
low female voice, your voice may not be able
to make these sounds — the notes above High
C may be just too high for you right now. That's
Wicked high notes
okay, because you have plenty of notes below
High C to play with. Singing in whistle feels as if
the notes are turning over into a different regis-
ter at the very top of head voice range — it feels
out of control, really high and small, and you
may feel the sensations on the top of your head.
These notes may not feel big and strong, like
chest voice or even middle voice. It’s similar to
what Mariah Carey did in her first few record-
ings. Not everyone can make those funky high
sounds, but you can try if you want.
Chapter 11: Developing the Parts of Your Singing Voice
Singing in a mix is a choice that you want to consciously make. As you
151
explore the mix, continue to work on your middle voice transitions into head
voice so that you can still make the sound gradually lighten as you ascend in
pitch when you choose to do so.
The pattern in Figure 11-25 alternates between a chest voice-dominated mix
and a head voice-dominated mix. Listen to the singer demonstrate for you.
The first and second times she sings the pattern, it sounds like she’s singing
in her head voice even though she’s not in her head voice range — she’s using
a head voice-dominated mix. The third and fourth times she sings the pat-
tern, she uses a chest voice-dominated mix. She made this change by thinking
of the third pattern as heavier and dropping the resonance lower. After you
listen to her demonstration a few times, play the track again and sing along.
>
Figure 11-25:
Alternating
between
a head-
dominated TRACK 34
mix and
a chest- PP D) — — —, —
dominated $ 2 7 è q 2 ð o Ə V P B a |
mix.
A There are times when | just want to mix it up.
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152 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Chapter 12
Expanding Your Vocal
Flexibility and Range
In This Chapter
Shifting gears with your voice
Singing throughout your range
Running ’round your range: Pop
Svs throughout your range while making successful register transi-
tions further fine-tunes your vocal skills. Range is the highest and lowest
pitch that a singer sings and all the notes in between. The vocal registers are
chest voice, middle voice, and head voice; as with shifting gears in a car, you
switch registers as you sing through your range. (See Chapter 2 for more
information on range and Chapter 11 for information on registers, which you
may know as the different parts of the voice.)
Your overall singing goals are to extend your range, make your highest and
lowest notes stronger, and increase your singing agility. In striving to meet
these goals, then, your range for practicing and your range for performing
are different. For example, I practice singing high notes, but I may not sing
all those notes in public. Instead, I stick to singing the strongest notes in my
range in public, but I keep practicing to extend it and make my singing voice
more agile — able to move quickly between notes.
In this chapter, you have an opportunity to extend your own practice range
so that your notes grow stronger and your voice becomes more agile. You
even work on some riffs to make your pop style really hot. As you listen to
the CD, remember that you don’t have to sing every exercise today. Work
a few patterns until you’re comfortable and then move on to some of the
harder ones.
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154 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Tactics for Tackling Register Transitions
If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out Chapter 11 for information on
where to make transitions in your voice. Knowing where to make transitions
makes it easier to figure out how to successfully sing a song. When you know
the transition points, you can choose tactics, such as the following, to help
you sing through the transitions when you practice:
Choose friendly vowels to sing. Closed vowels, such as in the words
me, may, and to, are often easier to sing than open vowels such as ah.
(See Chapter 8 for more information on vowels.) The vowels I list next to
each exercise are the vowels that help you the most when you first sing
the patterns. If you’re having trouble singing the pattern, go to Chapter 8
and find some other vowels to help you sing through those transitions.
1# Imitate a siren to feel the change in the vibrations as you go higher in
pitch. That same sensation of the vibrations rising higher in your head
applies to your singing. Head voice requires a higher resonance, so the
resonance or vibrations should move higher into your head as you go
up the scale. See more information about sirens in Chapter 5, and check
out Chapter 7 for information on resonance.
As you descend the scale, allow the resonance or vibrations to drop. It
may feel like the vibrations are going down a ladder on your face, gradu-
ally stepping down each rung as you go down the scale. The resonance
should move lower as you descend in pitch. Middle voice requires a
lower resonance or vibration than head voice. Chest voice uses even
lower vibrations or resonance than head voice.
Go gently into chest voice. When you descend into chest voice, you
want to drop smoothly into it instead of falling down into it. You can
experiment by singing a higher note and sliding down in pitch. Try this
slide twice. As you slide down the first time, allow the sound or sensa-
tions of the vibrations to just fall. This creates a big clunk into chest
voice. Then try the same slide again, but think of opening the throat and
body as you gradually descend. You’ll make a much smoother transition
into chest voice. See Chapter 11 for more information on chest voice.
Open the back space as you ascend. You can read about opening the
back space in Chapter 6. As you ascend, you want the space in the back
of the mouth and the throat to open to give those high notes plenty of room
to sing. You also get better results by dropping your jaw, not just dropping
your chin. You can read more about dropping the jaw in Chapter 5.
Keep your breath steady. In general, you want to keep the movement
of breath steady and flowing as you sing. If you’re ascending in pitch,
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Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range 155
your breath has to move faster. You don’t have to blow more air, but
the speed of the airflow must increase. You can read more about breath
flow in Chapter 4.
Keep energy flowing in your body. Singing requires a lot of effort, and
you want energy to be flowing in your body. You can read more about
energy exertion in Chapter 13. Move around as you sing to feel that
your entire body is involved in making the sound, especially on the
higher notes.
As you sing patterns throughout this chapter, use these tactics to help make
smoother register transitions.
Working On Vour Range
Figuring out how to sing in each of the registers in your voice is the first big
step in singing. The next big step is moving between the registers smoothly,
and the final step is extending your range in both directions. Because most
singers already have lower notes just from speaking lower in their range,
singing exercises usually focus on singing high notes. Ninety-nine percent
of singers who ask me for help want to focus on singing high notes, so in
this chapter I offer you exercises that work your higher range. Working on
high notes can even help your low notes to strengthen; you may find that
your range will expand in both directions by working for higher notes. You
can explore singing lower notes by working on the exercises on chest voice
in Chapter 11; those exercises give you an opportunity to develop lower
notes if your voice is capable of extending downward.
Taking your range higher
A great way to increase your range upward is by singing staccato, which
means “short and detached.” Singing shorter, lighter notes helps you in sing-
ing higher notes, because you’re not using as much heavy weight. To sing
staccato, keep your larynx steady and keep the muscles in your neck still. If
they flex or tighten, sing the staccato notes lighter, with less weight or pres-
sure; that technique helps you figure out how to work the muscles inside
your neck in your larynx. Make the notes light and short, and keep them con-
nected to your breath. If the sound is airy, too much air is escaping. Find a
clear sound on a longer note and then gradually sing notes that get shorter to
maintain that clarity.
156 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Pe cD
S AA
O
Figure 12-1:
Skipping
around on
staccato.
Ce]
ar
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Figure 12-1 gives you the opportunity to explore staccato sounds as you skip
notes along the scale. As you ascend in pitch, allow your back space to open.
You have to open this space fast because you’re moving quickly in the pat-
tern, so think ahead as you’re singing. The singer on the CD demonstrates the
pattern, singing staccato. You may feel your abs move as you start each note.
That’s normal: You want your breath to connect to each note. Blowing too
much air makes it harder to sing lightly. On the other hand, if you connect just
the right amount of air, the notes bounce along the scale. Use the ee vowel at
first to keep the sound light and dominated by head voice. As your staccato
gets easier, you can explore other vowels.
z =
fee fee fee fee fee fee fee fee fee fee
Break this exercise into steps: Open the space, send the breath, and then
make the sound. Hopefully, it all happens at the same time, but concentrate on
the individual steps if you’re having trouble getting it all coordinated.
Varying the dynamics
You’ve probably heard singers control their voice beautifully, whether
they’re singing loudly or softly. As your flexibility increases in your upper
register, you want to figure out how to vary the dynamics (volume). The exer-
cise in Figure 12-2 is called a messa di voce, which means “placing the voice.”
In a messa di voce exercise, the singer begins the note softly, gradually gets
louder, and then grows soft again. Working on the messa di voce helps you
get comfortable singing loudly or softly on any given note. Allow the vibrato
to happen as you work on the exercise. If you aren’t sure about vibrato or
how to find yours, check out Chapter 6.
The singers on the CD demonstrate the messa di voce exercise in Figure 12-2.
You can try this exercise, starting on any note. Just follow these steps:
1. Start singing the note as softly as you can manage.
2. Continue singing the note while gradually getting louder — crescendo.
Maintain a steady flow of air as you grow louder. You want the sound
to grow louder because of the increased airflow, not because you’re
squeezing your throat.
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Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range 157
ANG?
PA You may feel a bump or wiggle as you grow louder. Don’t panic: Your
muscles need time to adjust to this new skill. Use a consistent flow of air
to eliminate the wiggle.
3. Continue singing the note while gradually getting softer — decrescendo.
Keep the airflow constant as you grow softer. You can pretend that the
note begins floating, to help you gradually decrease the volume.
As you work through this exercise, you may find that you can start the tone
even softer and grow even louder. You'll gradually improve this skill with
practice — sing only as softly or as loudly as you can manage for today.
soft ————_____ loud ~ soft
—— a |
Figure 12-2:
Messa di 1. ooh
voce. 2. ee
a] 3. oh
Moving between registers
If you want some specific information about each register, check out Chapter 11,
which describes each of the areas of your voice. Most of the patterns in the
earlier chapters are slow patterns with notes right next to each other; they
give you a chance to focus on every sound and sensation as you sing. When
you have those specific areas down pat, you’ll want the challenge of moving
between registers to improve your technique even more. The patterns just
ahead move faster, involve larger intervals, and require you to quickly make
smooth transitions between registers as you move up and down your range.
ay? If the patterns are too high for you right now, wait until you’re more comfort-
able singing high notes. Listen to them and get used to all the notes so you’re
ready to sing them when your voice can handle the higher notes. Make sure
that you keep practicing, because you want to be able to sing the higher notes
and not just avoid them.
The pattern in Figure 12-3 starts on the top note and keeps returning to
that top note. Always sing the higher notes in this pattern in head voice.
Remember to maintain a steady larynx as you ascend to the higher notes. You
also need a steady airflow to make it all the way through the pattern. If you’re
having trouble singing from start to finish, use your lip trill or tongue trill to
work on your breath and then go back and sing the pattern on the vowels.
158
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Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
” ’ —
—— r r r = o* |
Ha a a one
Figure 12-3: —
Descending. 1. ooh oh ooh oh ooh oh
mus 2 CC oh ee oh ee oh
The pattern in Figure 12-4 ascends over an octave, which gives you a wonder-
ful opportunity to move among chest voice, middle voice, and head voice.
As you ascend, take care in making the transitions between the registers. To
make the transitions into head voice, you want to allow the resonance to rise
higher as you ascend. Look over the list of suggestions under “Tactics for
Tackling Register Transitions,” at the beginning of this chapter, for a review.
You can also drop down an octave if this pattern is too high for your voice.
Figure 12-4: 3 3 3 3
Stepping z e o—, mezerer
between r f — |
registers. = °? — le! 6
a] ah oh ooh oh ah
Taking Vour Agility to New Levels
Not every song you sing is slow, and you need to be comfortable singing both
fast and slow songs. Singing fast scales develops agility — the ability to change
notes quickly and easily. Agility is important no matter what kind of music
you plan to sing. If your voice can move easily and quickly, you’re much more
likely to enjoy singing faster songs, because you can sing them well.
Some voices are designed to sing fast. If your voice happens to love only slow
songs, be disciplined and work through these agility patterns. Later, you may
be glad you did. Agility is especially important for singing classical music and
upbeat pop songs. To advance your vocal agility, work through the rest of
the exercises in this chapter.
Moving along the scale
The patterns in Figures 12-5 to 12-7 begin by moving quickly among just a
few notes. Take your time getting used to all the notes. The patterns get pro-
gressively harder and longer and include more notes as they go. In addition,
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Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range 159
the tempo starts slowly and gradually speeds up. This gives you a chance to
settle into the pattern before it starts moving too quickly.
Figure 12-5 moves along a pattern and repeats a few of the notes along the
way. Notice that the first two notes are repeated as are the highest two notes
in the pattern. This gives you flexibility; you don’t have to try to control every
note in the pattern. Be sure to notice your breath connection: You want your
breath to move the voice along, not bounce your jaw or your larynx.
ee = —
Figure 12-5: oegeteor? pe ols g |
Flexing on = — = —— =
five notes. 1. ee
mu 2. Ce oh
Picking up the pace
«we CD By practicing scales or patterns that move quickly, you can develop better
SY » agility. The pattern in Figure 12-6 helps you sing at a faster pace up and down
a scale. This pattern is a full scale plus one extra note on the top. It’s often
Y called a nine-tone scale, in technical terms. On the CD, the pattern starts
slowly and gradually speeds up. These tips can help you sing this track:
1# Try to feel the pivot points or accents on the fifth note and the top note.
You can see a line over the pivot notes. If you aim for these pivot notes, you
can feel the pattern in two sections instead of one long, run-on pattern.
1# Make sure that your jaw stays still as you sing the pattern and that your
larynx doesn’t bob up and down. Use a mirror and check the movement
of both. Keep your fingers on your larynx if you can’t see it in the mirror.
Review Chapter 5 if you don’t remember how to find your larynx.
If you have trouble getting all the notes, add a consonant — for example,
add L or D to sing lah or dah. By inserting the consonant, you feel the
movement of your tongue as you sing each note, helping you land more
confidently on each note. Later you can take away the consonant and
sing just the vowels.
PCS =
; - = ~—- - -
Figure 12-6: = s3; — |
Sliding up oe e Poy o
the scale. © = -i ~- 2
e ee
] 60 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
<NE CD
ee
Figure 12-7:
Tripping
along the
scale.
EEE
MBER
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Figure 12-7 shows the same five-note pattern that you explore in other chap-
ters (such as Chapter 8), but I added a few notes. Try to hear that familiar five-
note sequence and think of those notes as your pivot notes. You can see a line
over the pivot notes.
You really have to let go of control to sing this pattern. Watch yourself in the
mirror and make sure that your jaw isn’t bouncing with each note. If you find
yourself trying to change the rhythm, sing half of the pattern each time it
plays so that you can really focus on the first few notes to release the tension
in your throat or jaw.
CECE te EE]
3 3 3
3
ee
Skipping through the intervals
Most of the patterns you’ve worked in the book move in stepwise motion —
the notes don’t jump around. However, not every song has notes that are right
next to each other. You may have to hop all over the place, which requires agil-
ity; your voice can do that easily if you practice the following exercises.
The patterns in Figures 12-8 and 12-9 aren’t easy. I want the CD to be beneficial
to you for quite some time, so I added some hard patterns. It may take a few
times listening to the CD to get used to these bouncing patterns. Just keep listen-
ing and humming along while following the patterns in the accompanying figures,
until you get the patterns straight. After that, you can tackle the patterns, using
all the information and skills you’ve been developing throughout the chapter.
As you sing patterns that hop around, keep your larynx steady. If you feel your
larynx bobbing around, go back to some of the easier patterns from the begin-
ning of the CD. When you can do those patterns with your larynx steady, come
back to this section. Review the suggestion in “Tactics for Tackling Register
Transitions” at the beginning of the chapter.
Check out the spunky dotted rhythm in Figure 12-8! You’ve been singing
mostly smooth eighth notes, but now it’s time to spice them up. Because the
notes jump around so quickly, be positively sure that you’re not bouncing
your jaw or your larynx to change notes. Remember that the note changes
inside your larynx, not from your jaw bopping around.
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Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range 16 ]
PC e
Figure 12-8: = p a e a z |
Spicing it up = ——
with dotted
rhythms, 1 oh
ee €C
Notice that as the singer sings the pattern in Figure 12-9, the sound is smooth,
even though the pattern is bouncing around. Feel the momentum of your
breath to keep the line moving, but try not to let the notes jerk as you leap
around on the intervals.
al — —| pm [ma a —
p r r |
Figure 12-9 7 ° ° oe 2
gure E> 1 dah dah dah— dah dah—— dah____ dah
Bouncing
onthirds, 2 mee— may___ mee___ may___ mee___ may_____ mee
me 3. Mah moh mah moh mah moh mah
Improvising for a Better Pop Sound
When you listen to pop singers on the radio, they sound like a million bucks.
After all, they have all those instruments and backup singers behind them.
At home, you probably don’t have a professional sound engineer to record
you every time you sing. So how do you get your voice to sound like a million
bucks without an engineer? You figure out the style of pop music and add
your fabulous technique that you’ve been developing.
One of the key ingredients in a good pop sound is a flexible voice. Pop music
offers a freedom of movement and sound that’s unlike classical music. When
you sing classical, you sing what’s on the page with musical precision. With
pop music, however, you sing the lyrics with your own take on the music —
called improvising. Singers who can move their voices easily have a much
easier time singing the riffs and licks in pop music. Riffs or licks are short pieces
of music, commonly in pop songs, that move quickly in a specific pattern and
are often improvised. The singer adds notes that express a unique version of
the song. I have notated some basic patterns that you can find in pop music.
Naturally, you still want healthy technique as you sing cool pop sounds.
] 62 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Figure 12-10:
Checking
out pop riffs.
ee
at CD
$7
Figure 12-11:
Descending
pop riff.
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Mastering patterns in pop music
The patterns in Figures 12-10 and 12-11 are short, but they give you a chance
to sing some basic riffs that you often hear in pop songs. One of the charac-
teristics of pop music is freedom of sound: You can move along the melody
line uninhibited. Try to find a free flow of the musical line as you sing.
As the singers demonstrate the pattern in Figure 12-10, they easily move with-
out trying to sing a huge sound. You explore big sounds in the other chapters,
but now you can explore a sound that’s a little more casual.
° ? z — |
g o e jo e
yeah ; uh - huh
Try the descending pop riff in Figure 12-11. Notice that it begins with the
same basic notes. After you try this one, experiment on your own to create an
ascending riff. Just make them funky to sound like pop music. You’re precise
in other exercises, but now you can spice it up.
;
3
s ā ® p |
yeah
Singing pop riffs with chords
The patterns that you sing in Figures 12-10 and 12-11 help you explore a pop
sound. Those patterns often arise in pop songs, so you can now sing them on
your own with the chords you hear on track 41 on the CD. The first couple of
times you try this, you may feel frustrated. Just keep trying. Each time I try
this with students who aren’t used to singing pop music, they try to sing it
right. Singing notes that don’t blend with the chords is okay — laugh it off and
try again. You can even try singing along with a familiar song and adding a
few notes yourself; you hear people do that all the time.
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Chapter 12: Expanding Your Vocal Flexibility and Range 163
On Track 46, you hear a chord played and singers singing an improvised
melody. They practiced the patterns listed in Figures 12-10 and 12-11 and then
combined some of those musical ideas to create their own sequence of pat-
terns. The singing is totally improvised. I simply played the chord and let them
sing. After you listen to their improvisation, try it yourself. You can sing what
they sang, or you can make up your own riff. After the singer demonstrates the
riffs, the next few chords are for you to try to improvise by yourself. Be brave
and make up something simple in the beginning. As you get better at it, you
can make up longer patterns. As long as what you sing blends with the chord,
youre right on target.
On Track 47, you hear the background track to a pop song. You hear the
singer improvise a melody and then call out for you to try it. You can make up
your own melody by using the riffs you’ve explored. Listen to the track a few
times to get the feel of it, and then try your hand at improvising. The first few
times, you'll feel lost, but you’ll get better at it.
On Track 48, you hear the background track to another song. This time, the
singer gets you started, but you get to sing the rest of it by yourself. Listen to
the track a couple of times to get used to the sound. You then can make up
your own pop tune with riffs.
If you just aren’t sure about pop riffs, try this. Sing through your favorite song
as you always do. Now sing through the song and add some riffs — embellish
the melody to make it sound like a pop song. The first time you try it, adda
few extra notes to the melody. Next time, add more extra notes to the melody.
The more notes you add, the more flexible and agile your voice has to
become.
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] 64 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Chapter 13
It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song
In This Chapter
Resonating new sounds with your speaking voice
Figuring out how to apply good singing technique
Discovering how to belt
B elting is such an exciting sound for a singer. Belting is the high-energy
sound that singers make in pop, musical theater, and rock music. It’s
similar to yelling on pitch, but with more of a singing tone than yelling.
Many different styles of music use belting. You’ve undoubtedly listened
to the sounds of belting — you just may not have known how to define it.
Belting (or belt) is a combination of forward resonance (see Chapter 7 for
information on resonance) and mix (see Chapter 11 for information on head
voice, middle voice, and chest voice). In mix, the sound isn’t totally head
voice or chest voice — it’s a combination of the two. It’s the sensation you
may have already explored in Chapter 11 while working on the middle voice.
In this chapter, you use your mix and add forward resonance to create a belt.
This chapter offers a lot of information about belting and exercises for you to
develop your belt.
The first step in learning to belt is to discover how to properly use your
speaking voice. Belting is such an exciting sound that some people want
to jump right in and learn to belt before they develop their singing skills. I
encourage you to work through the exercises in the order they’re listed in
the chapter and work slowly to successfully create your belt sound. Take
your time and discover that belting uses all the skills you’ve been exploring
throughout the book. If you haven’t worked through Chapters 11 and 12, I
encourage you to check them out before you explore belting.
When you find a really resonant speaking voice, you can fill an entire room
with little effort. For years, I didn’t know how to use my speaking voice prop-
erly, and I became really tired after speaking for short periods of time. Now
that lve discovered my optimum speaking pitch, applied the same breath
that I use when I sing, and found resonance in my speaking voice, I’m able to
chatter all day without nearly as much effort and with no strain.
] 66 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
ar
MBER
RS
&
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By working the exercises in this chapter, you can discover a variety of reso-
nant speaking pitches and range to make your speaking voice clear and com-
manding. After you work on your speaking voice, you get the chance to finally
try some belting exercises. But check out the exercises after you’ve worked
on your speaking voice. You need to have a healthy speaking voice that’s
ready for the high-energy work of belting.
Working the speaking voice helps you to feel the middle ground in your sing-
ing voice. Many people, especially women, speak on a low pitch to sound
tough. That’s fine, but you can also speak in your middle voice range and com-
mand attention. Men usually speak in their chest voice. If you happen to have
a high speaking pitch, you may still be in chest voice. You can work the exer-
cises in this chapter to explore variations in pitch and get your speaking voice
on track by using resonance and breath coordination.
No matter what sound you explore with your speaking voice, remember to
apply your knowledge of breathing from Chapter 4. You may be tempted to
squeeze your throat to make some of the tones, but that won’t help in the long
run; you still have to release that tension later. Keep exploring tones with an
open throat, consistent airflow, and an abundance of gusto.
Playing around with Pitch
To get the most benefit from the speaking voice exercises in this chapter,
I set up the following sections to work out your speaking voice so you go
through each of these steps:
1. Explore the tones and pitch you currently use when you speak.
You need to know what sounds you currently can make before you can
explore other sounds and pitches with your speaking voice.
2. Explore chanting to find an optimum speaking pitch.
Your optimum speaking pitch is the pitch that resonates and sounds the
best in your voice.
3. Apply that same vibrant speaking tone of your optimum speaking
pitch to other pitches.
Being able to make vibrant tones on a variety of pitches is the precursor
to handling spoken text in the middle of your song or just before your
song starts. Those vibrant tones also make you sound great when you
have to make a presentation at work or give a speech.
4. Work on high-energy speaking and resonance to prepare for belting.
5. Explore belting.
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song 16 7
ar
Because your speaking voice is so important to the health of your singing
voice, the steps are detailed. To keep you speaking and singing well every day,
try all the exercises in the chapter — but try them in the order they’re listed
to get the most benefit.
Talking to yourself
Before you explore the speaking voice exercises in the upcoming sections,
record yourself speaking and listen to the tone. Just listening to yourself talk
involves a different sound than when hearing your voice from a recording.
When you play a recording of yourself, you can hear the tone of your speak-
ing voice from an outside source. You can even listen to your message on
your voice mail. Notice whether the pitch of your speaking voice is low or
high and whether your tone is bright and forward or covered. You can also
record yourself during a conversation discussing some happy event in your
life: Your speaking voice may have more pitch variety because of the excite-
ment of your emotions.
Everyone has a central pitch that they return to when speaking. You can
change your central speaking pitch to find one that helps you get the most
ringing and resonant tone from your speaking voice. Explore the following
exercise to explore a resonant speaking voice and then find which pitch
sounds the best in your speaking voice.
Chanting and speaking
To understand what I mean about resonant speaking voices, I want you to
explore chanting, which is like speak-singing. Exploring chanting helps you
understand the close relationship between a resonant tone for speaking and
a resonant tone for singing. To explore chanting, you sing some pitches,
chant the same pitches, and then speak the same pitches.
This exercise uses the opening three notes to “Three Blind Mice.” You may
want to sing a bit of the song just to refresh your memory before following
these steps:
1. Sing the first three notes of “Three Blind Mice” and notice the feeling
in your throat.
Make sure that your version of the song isn’t really low in your chest
voice. Your optimum pitch isn’t the lowest note you can sing or speak. It
needs to be higher to find the most ring and resonance.
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2. Speak the opening words “Three Blind Mice.”
Aim for a pitch that’s in the vicinity of Middle C or a little higher for
women and around an octave below Middle C and higher for men. You
can explore higher pitches if you think that you’re speaking too low.
3. Sing the first three notes of “Three Blind Mice” again.
. Chant the first three notes of the song on one note.
Chanting means to speak-sing the pitches, as you hear monks doing in
monasteries. To speak-sing the pitches, you hold out vowels when you
speak, similar to what you do when you sing. Chanting may feel silly
because either it seems like you’re working to get someone who’s hard
of hearing to understand you or it feels like singsong.
. Speak the first three words of the song again (speaking naturally this
time) and see what pitches come out.
Keep the sensations of resonance similar in your singing, chanting, and
speaking all on the same pitches. Remember to connect your breath to
the speaking voice just as you do for singing.
You can also choose to sing “Three Blind Mice” on higher pitches, and then
chant and speak into those pitches.
You may feel strain or pressure when doing this exercise. If so, follow these
instructions:
Women: If you feel strain, you’re probably using your full chest voice to
create the tone. Try speaking again, but use a tone more similar to your
middle voice (a balance of muscle groups that create head voice and
chest voice working together instead of just chest voice), or find a pitch
that’s a little higher and doesn’t use as much chest voice.
1# Men: If you feel pressure when you’re speaking, it may be because you’re
not maintaining a consistent airflow as you’re speaking. The feeling of
pulling up weight from the bottom means you’re actively engaging your
chest voice. If the tone is too wispy and light, you’re not connecting your
body to the higher pitch. Your whole body should be ready to help you
make the sound. You can pretend that you’re about to leap up and dance
like Billy Elliott or Mikhail Baryshnikov, to help you feel the commitment
from your body. You can also explore the exercise in the section “Using
body energy to find clarity of tone,” later in this chapter. Try again and
open your throat, find your breath, and aim the tone right in front of you.
Finding your optimum speaking pitch
In the previous section, you find that you can move from singing to chant-
ing to speaking and apply your same breathing technique and tone produc-
tion when speaking or singing. In exploring chanting, you find the pitch that
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song ] 69
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sounds the best in your voice, called the optimum pitch. Your optimum speak-
ing pitch, or the central speaking pitch that sounds the best in your voice, is
usually where you say, “Uh-huh.” The pitch on huh works the best for most
people. If someone asks you a question and you answer without thinking
about what you’re doing, you probably make the tone on a pitch near your
middle voice if you’re a woman and near chest voice if you’re a man. This is
good. The tone of the optimum pitch is important, not just the pitch itself.
To find your optimum pitch, follow these steps:
1. Say “Uh-huh.”
Notice the second pitch that you sound for the huh of “Uh-huh.”
2. Say “Uh-huh” a few times and then move right into speaking by saying
your name immediately after the huh.
Notice the pitch when you said your name. Was it one of the pitches in
“Uh-huh,” or was it lower? If it was lower, try again and say your name
on the same pitch as the huh.
Your optimum speaking pitch helps you find prominent vibrations and easy car-
rying power to your speaking voice. You can then take that to other pitches. If you
aren’t sure what sounds best, ask a friend to listen or record yourself and listen
back. It’s okay to explore different pitches; that’s the objective of the exercise.
Listen for the pitches that really buzz or really vibrate as you speak. The best
speaking pitch isn’t the lowest or highest note of your range; it’s somewhere
near the middle voice range for women and the chest voice range for men.
Increasing your speaking range
The next step in your quest of a belt is to practice speaking with a tone that uses
forward resonance and high energy on various pitches. Please don’t try this
exercise until you explore the exercise in the previous section, “Finding your
optimum speaking pitch.” By knowing your optimum speaking pitch and explor-
ing that sound and feeling, you'll be more prepared for this exercise, because
you'll understand the pitch in your speaking voice. When you’re ready, try this:
1. Try being monotone.
Find your optimum speaking pitch, and practice reading a recipe or an article
from the newspaper in a monotone on the optimum pitch. That means saying
every word on one pitch and not varying as you do when you normally speak.
2. When the monotone is quite easy, vary your reading by alternating
between two adjacent pitches.
Use only two pitches for now so you can connect the breath and feel the
sensations in your body and face.
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we CD
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3. When you’re feeling confident, move up to a slightly higher pitch and
repeat Steps 1 and 2.
On the higher pitch, you want to maintain the resonant tone of your
speaking voice that you had on the previous pitch. Just as in the singing
exercises, the resonance needs to move higher as you ascend in pitch.
You also want to maintain a mixed sound and not flip into head voice.
4. Each time you’re confident of the pitch you’re speaking, play the
next-higher note and use that as the central speaking pitch when you
repeat Steps 1 and 2.
Women, after you get to the F just above Middle C, you'll feel like you can’t
speak any higher. You can. Find a middle voice sound, not chest voice, and
continue speaking. After you try the exercise and explore a few pitches, listen
to Track 49 on the CD to hear a female demonstrate how to move up the scale
to increase her speaking voice range.
On Track 49, you can hear a female singer demonstrating the sound of speak-
ing “Give that back!” and moving higher in pitch. She starts near Middle C and
gradually works her way up the scale. Notice that as she moves up the scale,
her speaking voice stays strong. The first few times you try this exercise, you
may feel comfortable going up only a few steps. When those few steps are
solid in your voice, try moving up a few more steps. The singer demonstrating
on the CD has worked on this exercise for quite some time and is confident
moving quite high with her speaking voice. Notice how the resonance moves
higher as she ascends. You want the resonance to move higher even though
you're not going into head voice.
Using body energy to find clarity of tone
Using body energy is really helpful to get a clear speaking or singing sound,
especially for belting. By body energy, I mean that surge of energy in your
body that helps you make the sound, such as when you're about to lift some-
thing heavy or when you yell. When you apply this same kind of movement
or energy to singing, you can take advantage of that purposeful flow of air
to create clear tones on a specific pitch. So connecting this idea to speak-
ing means finding your alignment from Chapter 3, finding the breath from
Chapter 4, finding some energy from physical movement, and then making
the sounds with your speaking voice. You find that your speaking voice can
make plenty of noise just because of the breath and energy surging in your
body. The surge of energy must come from the center of your body.
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As you sing part of your favorite song, rock back and forth from one foot
to the other or swing your hips from side to side to feel the surge or con-
nection of energy for your whole body.
You can also bounce in place just to get your legs in motion or engage
an imaginary fencing partner.
Using a plié from your ballet class is another way to engage your upper
and lower body. Plié means “to bend.” In this case, you bend your knees
as you gradually move toward the floor and then back up.
You can also just hold on to something heavy as you sing. Don’t go lift-
ing the pool table, but lift a heavy book as you sing. Notice that, as you
lift the book, the tone of your voice responds to the energy moving,
which probably makes the tone clear. Keep your breath moving as you
experiment with lifting objects.
You want your breath to keep moving. It’s possible to really squeeze and
make clear tones, but you know what tension feels like by now and you know
that it won’t help you in the long run.
To pump up the volume and make a louder tone, use a faster flow of air and add
more energy. To gradually get louder (crescendo) as you speak or sing, speed
up the flow of air and exert more energy. See Chapter 4 about breathing for
singing. Practice speaking through some dialogue from a song or a monologue;
start the tone softly and then gradually get louder to practice this idea of a
consistent energy flow. Belting requires a lot of effort; you want your body —
not your throat — to make the effort.
Defining Healthy Belting
NING
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Because your speaking voice is so closely related to belting, using the speak-
ing voice to develop a belting sound allows you to use a balance of muscles
to create the sound instead of just using full chest voice.
Belting is controversial among singers and voice teachers. The most common
statement you hear is that belting is dangerous and can ruin your voice. Of
course, any type of bad technique can hurt your voice, including bad tech-
nique for belting.
Healthy belting is possible if you take the time to really work on your
speaking voice to prepare you for the high-energy sounds. Good technique
prevents you from having to use a heavy chest voice to make the belting
sounds.
171
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When you're just beginning to work on belting, you may think the sound is
too intense. The feeling shouldn’t be too tight, but the sound may be intense
because of increased vibrations around your face from nasal resonance. Keep
reading to experiment with resonating qualities and understand nasal reso-
nance. (See Chapter 7 for more on resonance.)
If you’re not a fan of belting, you can pass up this section and head straight
to Chapter 14 for information about training for different styles of singing.
If you really want a chance to explore belting, please work on the speaking
voice exercises and then come back to the belting exercises.
The steps to making a healthy belt require that you find some high-energy
speaking sounds before using your singing voice. You'll have a harder time
figuring out how to correctly make the sounds if you jump right to the belting
on the CD. If you’re an advanced singer and have some experience with belt-
ing, you can explore the exercises at a faster pace.
When you do return to these exercises to begin belting, take some time to
practice some singing exercises to warm up your voice before you begin the
belting exercises. You’ll have an easier time making the sounds if your voice
is warmed up.
When you figure out how to belt, move back and forth between your different
styles of singing so you don’t get stuck. Singers often like to belt so much that
they neglect the rest of their voice. The top part of your voice — head voice —
still needs a good workout to stay in shape so you’re able to move back and
forth between your other styles of singing.
For a beginner, I strongly suggest that you work on your singing voice by using
exercises in another chapter, such as Chapter 11, and then return to this chap-
ter. When you begin this chapter, you need to really focus on your progress in
each exercise before you can move on to the next. Most beginner singers need
a year or more to work on their singing voice, and then another six months to
a year to belt successfully.
Comparing belt and chest voice
Belting is similar to a strong mix rather than a full, heavy chest voice. Save
the heavy chest voice sounds for the bottom of your voice.
Belting can be detrimental to your singing voice if you don’t take the time to
gain strength in your middle voice (see Chapter 11) and work on your speak-
ing voice to prepare your voice for the high-energy sounds you need to make.
(Use the exercises in the earlier section, “Playing around with Pitch.”)
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song ] 13
On Track 50, listen to the female singer demonstrate the difference between
a belted sound and a chest voice sound. The chest voice sound she demon-
strates is 100 percent chest voice, a heavy chest voice sound. The sensation
she felt was that her chest voice was much heavier than the belt sound. By
working on her speaking voice, she was able to develop her belt without
engaging her full chest voice.
Knowing your limits as a beginner belter
Belting is like any other singing skill; it takes time to master it. If you’re just
beginning to belt, make it part of your daily routine — but not the only part of
your daily routine. You don’t go to the gym on the first day you buy the mem-
bership and spend the entire day on the treadmill. Give yourself time to build
up the muscle strength to make the sounds in a healthy way.
If you find yourself pushing or feel tired at the end of a work session, go back
and check your technique. If all the points on your checklist are in good working
order, shorten the amount of time that you work on belting at your next practice
session. Continue to also work on your speaking voice to keep it in good shape.
Be sure to work on all areas of your voice after you discover belting. You want to
keep your technique balanced and build strength in all areas of your voice.
Noting the difference between the sexes
Belting is different not only between women and men, but also for differ-
ent voice types. Keep reading to discover the differences for yourself and
develop a healthy belting technique, custom designed for your voice.
Women
A healthy belt for the female voice means using a consistent flow of air, high
resonance (especially nasal resonance), and a strong speaking voice sound
that sustains into sung tones. When the belt is right, belters say it feels like
middle voice but sounds like chest voice. Belting is going to be easier for the
lighter sopranos than for mezzos. I’m not saying that you mezzos shouldn’t
try it, but you may have to work a little harder to figure it out.
Men
Belting for the male voice can be fun. It’s not a huge technical feat for men to
change the sound enough to create this style of singing. To create a belting
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] 74 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
sound, you need to find a forward resonating sound and a fullness of tone as
you ascend in pitch. The fullness of tone can happen from using nasal reso-
nance. Using forward resonance may feel smaller to you, but it sounds full
in the room to your audience. Because this sound is so much harder for the
female, the CD has only one example of a male voice belting. If you’re feeling
left out, Chapter 11 devotes more time to the male voice and falsetto. The
exercises in this chapter are in a great range for you, too, so feel free to sing
along even though the demonstrator on the CD is female.
Most men allow the sound to roll back as they ascend in pitch. This is a per-
fectly normal action to take when singing classical music. When the sound
moves back, it’s called cover. In other words, the sound moves back (or uses
more resonance in the throat) and the vowels slightly modify. To make a dis-
tinction between your classical sound and your belting sound, you want to
keep the sound rolling forward or use more nasal resonance. All resonators
are used for singing, but for belting, the prominent resonance comes from the
nasal resonator.
On Track 51, you can hear a male voice belting. The male singer sings, “Listen
to me wail!” so you can hear the sounds of a high, male voice belt. Notice that
the notes are in the head voice range, yet the sound is different from the other
sounds you hear the male singers make on the CD in the falsetto and head
voice examples.
Introducing mix belt
Some people use the terms beltand chest voice
as if they're the same. Belt and chest voice may
be related, but they're not the same. Belt uses
some chest voice, but it’s not pure chest voice.
Mix just means that you're mixing or combining
registers — combining or using head voice and
chest voice at the same time and using qualities
of both. The exercises in Chapter 11 help you
explore the middle part of your voice, a com-
bination of head voice and chest voice called
mix. Two primary muscle groups help create
head voice and chest voice. When you sing in
the middle part of the voice or mix, you're using
both of those muscle groups at the same time.
If you sing in chest voice, you're using only
one of the muscle groups; the one that helps
you create chest voice. One of the reasons the
term mix belt has become popular is to help
people understand that belt is not pure chest
voice — it’s a combination or mixture of regis-
ters used at the same time. Mix belt is exactly
what you explore in the exercises in this chap-
ter; you explore how to use some chest voice
and a lot of forward resonance to create a belt.
So whether you call it be/tor mix belt, continue
reading and exploring the exercises to create a
fabulous belt.
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song ] 15
Coordinating breath and energy
When you’re making belting sounds, you must maintain a consistent flow of
air. If your air isn’t flowing quickly, you may find yourself squeezing or tight-
ening to make the sounds. You must also increase energy flow as you make
more intense belting sounds. The flow of energy you need to create belting
sounds may be greater than the amount of energy you need in your chest
voice or middle voice. Move around the room to connect your whole body
to your singing, as you did earlier in the chapter in the section “Using body
energy to find clarity of tone.” Taking coordinated breath and energy to the
next level for belting is one of the goals of this chapter.
Preparing for Belting
To feel the vibrations necessary for belting, you need to explore taking
speaking voice sounds higher than you normally speak and explore some
tones that aren’t very pretty. Belting isn’t about making pretty tones. Belting
sounds like yelling on pitch. I don’t think of yelling as a bad sound: Beginner
belters often like the belt sounds of other singers but dislike the sounds in
their own voice. Singing in head voice-dominated sounds is very different
from belting. You may grow to love the sound of your voice belting, but you
may not think it’s pretty at first. The sounds are exciting but not pretty.
Being confused about belting in the beginning is normal. Many singers aren’t
sure whether they like the sound right away. Knowing that the first sounds
aren’t the finished product, continue to explore the sounds. As your skill
develops, you can play with the tone to find a quality that you can live with.
Remember that the first few songs you sing to practice belting need to be
spunky, feisty characters. (Appendix A contains a list of belt songs.)
Speaking in a mix
You can use a mix not only for singing, but also for speaking. Using a mix
when you speak helps you understand what you need to do when you sing.
You can go back to the earlier exercises in the chapter to explore your opti-
mum speaking pitch and then take that optimum sound to more pitches. If
you explored Chapter 11, which describes the registers of the voice, you can
apply that same registration work to your speaking voice. Speak some text
and use a pure chest voice. It’s going to feel really heavy. Speak the text again
and allow it to be head voice dominated — you likely sound very young.
Knowing what is chest voice and head voice when you speak allows you to
now explore a combination — mix — in the following exercise.
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Try the following exercise to explore the mix when you speak. Later exercises
in the section “Moving Resonance to the Front” help you add forward reso-
nance to your mix to create a mix belt. (See the nearby sidebar, “Introducing
mix belt,” for more information.)
The exercise on Track 52 (“I Wanna Know!”) allows you to explore speaking on
a variety of pitches. Listen to the singer demonstrate for you. Notice that the
sound of her speaking voice is chatty and conversational. As she moves higher
in pitch, she maintains the chatty sound and the resonance moves higher. The
sound is a mix — neither chest voice nor head voice but a combination of both.
After you listen to the track several times, play it again and join in.
Calling out to a friend
Making high-energy speaking sounds, such as calling out to a friend or
making demands of an imaginary foe, helps you find nasal resonance and
coordinate breath and energy.
Pretend that your friend is across a noisy room. Try to get his attention by
calling out, “Hey.” Use your knowledge of breath and energy to connect to
this sound. Your imaginary friend doesn’t respond, so call out “Hey” again
on a different pitch. Remember that it’s okay to explore different pitches
with your speaking voice. You can also modify this exercise: Call out phrases
such as “Give me that back!” or “Back off!” or “Never!” or even try to sell your
friend something. Many of the vendors at the ballpark are belting and don’t
even know it. Try selling some apples, oranges, or popcorn to an imaginary
crowd. Use your knowledge of resonance from Chapter 7 to get the tone
vibrating in your face to find nasal resonance.
On Track 53, you hear the singer demonstrating high-energy speaking sounds.
The speaking quality that you use to work this exercise feels nasal. It doesn’t
sound nasal, but it may feel nasal. This is perfectly legal belting. The wide-
open, dark, resonant sounds are good for your classical music. This twang
sound that’s spoken is perfect for helping your belt. If you’ve never explored
the type of speech I’m describing, get out the CD and listen to the example
before you attempt this exercise.
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Moving Resonance to the Front
When you sing, you may not be aware of resonance. You can read Chapter 7
about resonance and how it varies in different styles of music. In this section,
you explore resonance in different ways and locations so you know how to
move it forward when it’s time to belt.
Exploring vibrations of resonance
For this exercise, you divide your head into three segments. It’s not as painful as
it sounds. To really feel the vibrations of resonance in the front of your face, you
want to explore the vibrations made in the very back, middle, and front of your
face and head. Read on for an explanation of the sounds and sensations in the
back, middle, and front of your head, and then listen to the examples on the CD.
Back: Pretend that you’re very proper and pompous, and say, “Oh, darling!”
When you Say it, you want to feel the vibrations of sound only in the back
of your head or mouth. You can imitate the speaking voice of a very proper
queen or royalty. Knowing what the vibrations feel like when they’re really
far back helps you understand when they move forward. To be sure that
you understand the sensation, you want to open the back of the mouth and
throat and keep the sound back there. It’s as if your mouth is in the back of
your head and you’re sending the sound out the back of your head.
Middle: Finding resonating sensations in the middle of your head allows
you to feel where the vibrations are when they’re halfway to the front.
You can pretend that you’re out with your mates at the local pub and
say, “Fights like that are not for me.” It may feel like the sound is going
straight up from the middle of your head. The space in the back of the
mouth or throat is similar to the space you use when you speak, as
opposed to the space you open to create full resonant tone for classical
music. Pretend you’re Crocodile Dundee or Hugh Jackman for a moment,
and speak to your mates. Imitating this speaking voice may help you find
the sensations in the middle of the head.
Front: For this segment, you want to feel the sound in your face and not at
all in the back of the head. Pretend you’re a kid on the playground cheer-
ing with friends, or imitate the sounds of a boisterous and overbearing
relative — you know, those relatives who make a lot of noise when they
speak. They tend to shout even when you're standing next to them.
You want that same kind of resonance for this exercise. Choose one of
the previous examples and say, “Yeah, that’s what I want.” If you aren’t
sure whether you felt the vibrations in the front of your face, try all
three again — back, middle and front — to feel the vibrations gradually
moving forward as you explore all three segments of your head.
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After you try the three types of resonance in this exercise, listen to the exam-
ples on the CD on Track 54 to hear the sounds demonstrated for you. For belt-
ing, you want to use the front vibrations that you just explored.
Being bratty to feel resonance
To help you feel that forward resonance needed for belting, I want you to
imitate a little kid who’s about to tattle on his big brother or sister. You
know that taunting, singsong sound, nya-nya-nya-nya-nya. Be a brat for a few
minutes and find that tattletale sound — feel the vibrations as you make the
sound. If you didn’t feel the sensation in your face, try again and be even
more of a brat. Let the bratty sound buzz in your face, but with no squeez-
ing in your throat. When the sound is right, you feel vibrations in the front of
your face or just behind your face. You want the sound to be buzzing behind
or beside your nose, but not in your nose. If you think it’s too nasal, hold
your nose and make the sound. The sound stops if it’s “in your nose,” but it
continues buzzing if it’s just behind your nose. If the vibration is in the front
of your head or face, you’re on the right track. The vibrations aren’t in one
single area; you may feel your whole face, especially your cheeks or forehead,
vibrating. Some people like to call the area behind their face “the mask.” If
that’s a term you’re familiar with, you’re trying to create tones that generate
plenty of vibration in the mask.
On Track 55, you can hear a female singer demonstrate the nyah sound for
you. The sound needs to really buzz in your face or behind your nose — not
in your nose as in nasal, but behind your nose to take advantage of nasal reso-
nance. When you find the nyah sound, speak some text from a belting song in
this same manner. As you make these sounds, keep plenty of breath moving
so you don’t push in your throat. The sound may not be your favorite in the
beginning, but you may grow to like it.
Combining Resonance and Registration
To belt successfully, you want to use both high forward resonance and mixed
registration. With mixed registration, you use some chest voice and some
head voice. (Check out the mix description earlier in the chapter in the side-
bar “Introducing mix belt.”) If you’ve been practicing the exercises earlier in
the chapter to help you with registration and you’ve explored some really
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song ] 19
Ce]
Figure 13-1:
That Ain't
It Man.
O]
forward resonance, you’re ready to work on increasing your belt range. As
you belt higher in pitch, the sound or resonance is going to roll higher in
your head, similar to what you do as you’re singing up the scale moving from
middle voice into head voice. The difference is that you keep some chest
voice instead of turning over into head voice as you ascend. You may feel the
vibrations from the resonance climbing higher in your head, as if you have a
ladder on your face that the vibrations of sound gradually climb.
Increasing your belt range
Some people think that you can belt only to a certain pitch because that’s
how high they can take their chest voice. You can read throughout this chap-
ter that belting is a combination of forward resonance plus mixed registra-
tion. Because not every voice is the same, some singers have an easier time
with belting and increasing their belt range, whereas other singers find it
tricky.
Higher sopranos and tenors have an easier time belting and belting high in
their range. Mezzos and baritones may struggle a little more to figure out their
belt. You can read more information in Chapter 2 about voice types and their
range. If you’re a mezzo or baritone trying to increase your belt range, you
want to work slowly and deliberately. Spend about a month working on the
speaking voice exercises earlier in the chapter. Work for another month or so
on the forward resonance. That forward resonance may be harder for you than
for your soprano or tenor buddies. Your voice tends to be darker and heavier,
so finding forward resonance is going to take you a while. Be patient. If you
rush to increase your belt range, you may end up pushing and making a harsh
sound. If you can find the forward high resonance, you'll understand the differ-
ence between when you're using too much weight and when it’s just right so
you can sing higher belt songs.
On Track 56, illustrated in Figure 13-1, the singer on this track sings a short
belt exercise, “That Ain’t It Man.” You want to use your belt sound for this
exercise. If you haven’t explored the exercises earlier in the chapter, you may
find this exercise hard. Go back and explore the bratty resonance exercise
and mixed registration explanation in the sidebar “Introducing mix belt.” Work
on “That Ain’t It Man” until you’re comfortable singing it before moving on to
track 57 just ahead. This exercise on Track 56 helps you use a chatty sound in
a narrow range.
TRACK 56
° eee + eee . o o o s o_o o
That ain'tit —man! Thatain'tit—man! Thatain'tit—man! That aint—it man!—
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] SO Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Belting up the scale
As you belt higher in pitch, you want to combine your high resonance and
mixed registration. If you physically understand how to combine high for-
ward resonance with mixed registration, then you can belt right up to the top
of the staff. Try the next exercise to practice combining mixed registration
and forward resonance to belt your way up the scale. It may seem like you’re
just talking on pitch higher and higher up the scale. That’s a good thing.
Remember that belting is extended speech. If you use your speaking voice for
this exercise, you're on the right track to becoming a proficient belter.
The exercise in Figure 13-2 allows you to climb the scale and feel that reso-
nating ladder I talk about in the earlier section, “Combining Resonance and
Registration.” Think of speaking on pitch, using some chest voice no matter
how high you go, and allow the resonance to climb higher as you ascend.
ee oat
Figure 13-2: # 7 Y = x 4 l
Not Now. z
E Not now!
Advancing Vour Belt
Belting is really fun but you have to get your body coordinated to make
advanced belt sounds. The chatty sounds you explored earlier in the chapter
help you figure out resonance and registration. Before continuing on to the
exercises in this section, do the following:
Review the information earlier in the chapter about exerting energy
when you sing or speak. You want some serious energy moving when
you sustain the belt sounds in these next exercises.
Review the information about breathing (especially the exercises at the
end of Chapter 4) that describes sustaining the breath. You also want
really consistent breath control to help you sustain belt sounds.
Review the exercise from “Moving Resonance to the Front,” earlier in
this chapter, to figure out how to find forward resonance. You can also
review the mix exercises in Chapter 11 to move back and forth between
a chest voice-—dominated mix and a head voice-dominated mix. When
you're confident that you understand mix and know the difference
between a mix and a belt, practice rolling back and forth between the
two. Advanced belting often requires you to move from a mix into a
belt. The belt sound is going to use much-more forward resonance than
the mix, so you want to be confident that you can roll back and forth
between the different uses of resonance.
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song 18 ]
«wt CD
Try the exercises ahead to explore more advanced belt sounds and sustained
belt sounds.
On Track 58, the singer sings a short belt song, “Take Shelter! I’m a Belter,”
that gives you an opportunity to take your belting skills a little farther. Listen
to the track a few times to get used to the sound. Be sure you’re warmed up
before you try singing this song.
Sustaining belt sounds
Developing your belt sound takes time and patience. If you’ve been work-
ing on the exercises throughout the chapter, you may be ready to explore
sustaining belt sounds. To sustain a belt sound, you need a lot of physical
exertion in your body. If you don’t use physical exertion, you may end up
pressing in your throat, and that’s not good.
Belting requires a lot of effort, so you want the effort to come from your
body, not your throat. Using physical exertion means moving energy in your
body. Go back to the exercises earlier in this chapter that explore coordinat-
ing breath and energy (see the section “Using body energy to find clarity of
tone”). Work on those suggestions and explore how to really use your entire
body to make sound. Not only do you want this physical exertion when you
sustain notes in your belt song, but you want to make sure that you’re not
pushing in your abs at the beginning of the phrase.
Review the exhalation exercises in Chapter 4. Using a hard push of your abs
at the beginning of a phrase pushes out too much air. Your throat closes down
to prevent all the air from blowing by, and you end up starting with a tight tone.
Physical exertion isn’t about pushing in; it’s about opening your body or gradu-
ally letting the abs, ribs, and sides of your body move back in when you exhale.
Try the exercise shown in Figure 13-3 to explore the exertion required for sus-
taining belt sounds. You want to find the high resonance that you explored in
earlier exercises and use some chest voice — but not pure chest voice. Review
the mixed belt information if you aren’t sure how to use some chest voice, but
not 100 percent. The first word intentionally has a TH at the beginning. Allow
your tongue to move forward for the TH, and allow the air to move over your
tongue when you say the TH. This movement forward helps you release the
back of the tongue and also propel the resonance forward. When you say that’s
the second time, you sustain it. You want to feel your body opening out —
your sides, your ribs, your hips, your back — instead of pushing in. If you
feel yourself pushing in, go back and cough or laugh to notice how your body
moves out on the sides to create the sound. Then try the pattern again, open-
ing your body to sustain that’s.
182
Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
PCS
Figure 13-3:
That's
Mine —
That's Mine.
|
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y oo =]
oo f
oe >
Thats mine! That's mine!
Exploring different vowels
You may have noticed that the belt exercises in this chapter use the vowels
ay (the ay sound as in day) and a (as in cat). Those two vowels help you find
the forward resonance you need for belting. Of course, you have to sing more
than those two vowels in belt songs, so you want to find the same resonance
on other vowels. You can find that same resonance a couple of different ways:
The first option is to modify the other vowels so they’re similar to
ay. This suggestion is good to try when you're first beginning to belt.
Modifying the vowels means that you're trying to find the same reso-
nance on all vowels that you got when you were singing the ay or a. If
the phrase you’re about to sing is “I’m not at all in love,” you want to
pretend that the words look more like aaah’m naaat aaat aaaal aaaan
laaaaav. That combination of letters makes no sense unless you under-
stand that you’re pretending that the vowels you’re singing in that
phrase use the vowel a as in cat or are really similar to the a vowel.
When you find the same height of resonance that you had when singing
the a vowel, you can sing the actual vowels within the words and keep
that high resonance. If you find ay more helpful than the a vowel, pre-
tend that the vowels in your phrase are all similar to ay.
The second option to help you maintain high resonance on a variety of
vowels is to speak the sound nyah to feel the high resonance. You can
go back to Track 55 on the CD to hear this sound demonstrated for you.
When you feel the high resonance of nyah, say the words of your song
and try to keep the same height to the resonance. When you can speak
the words and keep the high forward resonance, sing the words of your
song and try to find the same height when you sing. If you’re having
trouble belting, you’re likely having problems with the word right before
that troublesome note. For example, if you sing the phrase “I’m not at all
in love,” you may have trouble with the word ail. If you focus on getting
the right resonant sound for the word at, you can maintain that same
forward resonant sound on the word ail. It’s tempting to open the space
in the back and allow the aw sound in the word all to fall back into a
very open and head voice-dominated sound. Instead, you want to keep
the sound in the front of your face. A visual that may help is pretending
that you have a Jim Carey mask on your face that can expand as you belt
higher. The mask is a visual of your face lifting up or expanding in the
front of your face.
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song 183
When you’re more skilled at belting, you’ll be able to sing the real vowels in
your words without having to modify or change them. You still want the high
resonance, but you'll be able to sing the real vowel in the word. For now,
keep modifying until you’re confident that the resonance is both high and for-
ward. You'll also find later that you don’t need to use the forward resonance
all the time when you belt. You'll be able to roll the sound forward when it’s
appropriate. Listen to the belters in the later section, “Belters and Belt Songs
You Should Hear,” and listen to the different colors they use when they sing
an entire song. They don’t use the really forward sound all the time; they use
it only when it’s appropriate to the portion of the story.
On Track 60, the singer sings a short belt song for advanced belters called
“Let’s Celebrate.” This is a more advanced belt song because the range is
wider, the notes stay higher, and you have larger leaps. Continue working
on the exercises in this chapter for belt strength and endurance. If you feel
fatigued after singing this song, go back to the first belt song and practice it
until you feel that your technique is solid. As you listen to the singer, notice
how high and forward her resonance is, even when she changes vowels.
Belters and Belt Songs Vou Should Hear
Listening to some technically savvy belters can be helpful when you're figur-
ing out how to make the sounds described in this chapter. In Appendix A, you
can find some great suggestions of belt songs to try for yourself.
Male belters
For some skillful male belters, listen to
Chuck Berry singing “Roll Over Beethoven”
Elton John singing “Philadelphia Freedom” or “I Guess That’s Why They
Call It the Blues”
1# Bobby Lewis singing “Tossin’ and Turnin’”
John Cougar Mellencamp singing “Hurts So Good”
Rod Stewart singing “Tonight’s the Night” or “Do You Think I’m Sexy”
You may not think of those guys as belters, but they’re using the same quali-
ties you explore in this chapter.
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] 84 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Female belters
For female belters, listen to these ladies:
Kristin Chenoweth: She demonstrates her belt versatility in “Popular,”
from Wicked, and “My New Philosophy,” from You’re A Good Man Charlie
Brown.
Linda Eder: She provides great examples of moving back and forth
between different sounds and colors in the voice. You can listen to her
recording of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” where she moves from her
head voice and on to a belt.
Sutton Foster: She uses her belt effectively in “Show Off,” from The
Drowsy Chaperone.
Beyoncé Knowles: She effortlessly shows off her belt in “Listen,” from
Dreamgirls.
Ethel Merman: Her tone is an example of very forward resonance, espe-
cially in selections such as “Some People,” from Gypsy, and “There’s No
Business Like Show Business,” from Annie Get Your Gun.
Barbra Streisand: She demonstrates how to mix belt especially in her
recording of “Memory” from Cats. You can compare Streisand’s sounds
to some of the other recordings of “Memory,” where you hear singers
using really heavy chest voice.
Belt songs
You may notice that belt songs tend to start out in a mix and then gradually
move into a belt. Some songs stay in the belt sound the whole time, but not
all do.
Consider these examples of songs that are commonly belted for the entire
song:
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” as sung by Cyndi Lauper
“Joy to the World,” as sung by Three Dog Night
“Some People,” from Gypsy
“You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun,” from Annie Get Your Gun
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Chapter 13: It's a Cinch: Belting Out Your Song
Is belt the same in all styles of music?
Students often ask whether belt is the same in
all styles of music. That's a very good question.
The answer: Some differences do exist.
Rock: For rock songs and a rock belt, the reso-
nance is forward and almost harsh. You get that
harsh rock belt by using straight tone, keeping
the screaming sounds that rockers make in
the front of your face and not letting the sound
spread and press in your throat, and sliding or
falling off the last note of a phrase instead of
holding it out. Normally, when you sustain a
note in most styles of music, you use vibrato.
For a rock belt, you don't use much, if any,
vibrato.
Pop: A pop belt is similar to the belt sounds that
you explore in this chapter. Early pop music,
called doo-wop, uses a lighter belt sound com-
pared to more contemporary pop music.
Musical theater: For musical theater, the belt
changes in contemporary material. The more
traditional musical theater songs have high belt
notes — but not as high as some of the newer
shows, which require that females belt to the
top of the staff (normally head voice territory).
You have to be a pretty skilled belter to use this
kind of sound on a daily basis in a show. The
newer musical theater shows are also influ-
enced by other styles, such as rock and pop.
R&B: For R&B, singers often use more chest
voice in their belt. If you choose to use a heavier
chest voice sound in your belt, try to use it only
in some parts of the song, not in the whole song.
Varying the amount of weight keeps you from
getting as tired as when you use a heavy chest
voice throughout the song, and you can keep
the balance of registration so that all parts of
the voice stay equally strong.
Country: For country, singers use a lot of twang
in their belt, from a really high speaking voice
sound that has forward resonance. Modern
country music is similar to pop music, and the
sounds the singers make also are quite simi-
lar. Both styles interchange the belt and mix
throughout songs.
Examples of songs that use both belt and mix:
“Faith,” as sung by George Michael
“Hot Stuff,” as sung by Donna Summer
“I’m Going Back,” from Bells Are Ringing
1# “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” as sung by Whitney Houston
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] 86 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Chapter 14
Training for Singing
In This Chapter
Training for different musical styles
Beginning your drills at any age
Determining whether to train with a choir
J training requirements for singers can be confusing. Every singer needs
a basic healthy technique, but knowing what to do with that technique
depends on what kind of music you want to sing. In this chapter, you find out
what it takes to sing your favorite style of music, when to begin that training,
and whether singing in the choir offers the right kind of training for you.
Training for singing means developing singing technique. The information
about technique throughout the book is designed for all singers, not just one
type of singer or style of material. So explore the rest of the book for foun-
dational information, and read on to understand what specifics are required
for different styles of music. After reading this chapter, you’ll know what to
polish in your practice sessions.
Defining Training Requirements
No matter what type of music you want to sing, you need a healthy technique
for a long life of singing. If you’re interested in singing a specific type of music
but you’re not sure what it takes to sing those songs, check out what kind of
sound you should be shooting for. (I also provide a list of talented singers in
each genre.)
Crooning as a country singer
Country music has the good ol’ boy songs about whiskey and women, as
well as heartfelt ballads about lost love. The artists put on quite a show at
their performances and use a variety of sounds when they sing. The biggest
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] SS Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
common denominator in country music is the story being told. It describes
how the singer feels, in a sound that’s similar to a speaking voice.
Sound: Country music is slowly and surely becoming more similar to
pop music. For now, you can assume that country music focuses on
sounding like a real person and telling a story with simplicity in the voice.
Generally, country singers use a microphone, so they don’t need to
carry the hall like classical singers. Country music also has more twang
than you hear in the opera house. Singers create the song from their
speaking voice — they think of singing as an extension of speaking. For
this reason, they don’t need wide, open spaces (in their mouth and
throat) and round, rich tones like classical singers. You may have this
ability, but you probably won’t use it when you sing country.
Healthy technique: You don’t want to sound cultured when singing
vowels in country songs. (See Chapter 8 for more on pronouncing
vowels.) You want to be specific with your articulation so that your
audience can understand you, but you don’t want to sound like you’re in
class with Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. Figuring out how to create
healthy belt (see Chapter 13) is also a good idea, because many singers
use a beltlike quality when singing their songs. Knowing the difference
between a belt and chest voice helps you keep your voice in balance.
Naming names: Clint Black (twang and cry of country), Johnny
Cash (great storytelling, similar speaking and singing techniques),
Reba McEntire (easy belting, good storytelling, some twang), Trisha
Yearwood (strong legit sound and belt, good storytelling ability, combi-
nation of emotions and voice to create interesting sounds).
Jazzing it up
Familiar jazz songs are sometimes arrangements of songs from other styles
of music. When jazz singers create an arrangement of a musical theater stan-
dard, they usually change the notes and rhythms from the original music.
Jazz singers create their style with rhythmic flexibility, and the singer and
pianist don’t always have to be together note for note (called back phrasing).
Sound: The world of jazz is similar to the other contemporary fields in
that the singers have to make a variety of sounds. The sounds in jazz are
often more about using the voice like a musical instrument than making
big vocal sounds like you hear at the opera. The singer often sings syl-
lables or rhythmic sounds in place of words.
Healthy technique: Jazz singers need to have a good ear, because their
music is often improvised and changes with each nightly performance.
The singer also has to know how to scat, which is using doo-wop kinds of
syllables, while singing a variety of notes that may or may not be
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Chapter 14: Training for Singing
written on a page of music. The jazz singer needs a great sense of
rhythm, because the musical instruments are often playing background
music while the singer offers his own melody line.
Naming names: Some jazz singers who apply great jazz technique
include the famous scat queen herself, Ella Fitzgerald; the laid-back,
sultry sounds of Diana Krall; and the man who uses his voice like an
instrument, Bobby McFerrin.
Making your mark in musical theater
Unlike the opera, the musical theater production is about the story first.
Singing is high on the list of priorities, but it doesn’t rank first. Musical the-
ater performers aren’t cast just because they sing well (although singing abil-
ity does count!); they’re cast because they look the part, can dance or move
well, and can both act and sing. Musical theater singers also need to know
how to make a variety of sounds.
Sound: With musical theater repertoire, you want the sound to be con-
versational, not oversung. The simplicity of the voice allows the singer
to portray the text, which is most important. Musical theater singers do
have to make beautiful sounds, but the sound should reinforce the text.
Many musical theater productions use microphones, and singers need
to understand how to adjust their technique when using a hand-held mic
or wearing a body mic. Those adjustments include not punching conso-
nants (such as the T), because doing so results in a popping sound, and
trusting your feeling while you’re singing instead of relying on the sound
to come back from the monitors or echo in the theater.
Healthy technique: A healthy musical theater technique involves
making the beautiful open, round sounds called legit (open space and
round head voice—dominated sound). This technique is similar to the
opera singer’s, but it also includes belt. Belting is making sounds like
Ethel Merman, Kristin Chenoweth, and Idina Menzel. The sound is
brassier, more forward, sometimes nasal, and similar to a high chest
voice. You make this sound by working to combine the sounds of your
speaking voice and singing voice. See Chapter 13 for help with your belt.
Musical theater productions tend to be scheduled close together, and
performers need solid technique to handle back-to-back performances.
On Broadway, performers often do eight shows per week. Performing
that much sounds like fun, but it requires stamina and skillful technique.
Naming names: Joel Grey (conversational, high belt), Mary Martin (legit
sound and belt), John Raitt (rich, round, almost operatic sound), and
Gwen Verdon (great dancing skill, ability to make many different sounds
with her voice to create her character).
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] 90 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Performing pop-rock
The lines in the music industry are starting to blur, and rock music is con-
nected with pop. The styles are similar vocally, both use a wide range, more
belt than head voice, and tone that ranges from funky to pretty. Rock sing-
ers have heavy guitars backing them up and make a variety of sounds, from
screams to moans. Both types of singers need to know how to keep their
singing voices healthy for their demanding music. Healthy technique means
making sure that your voice will last over time.
Sound: Because you have a microphone, you don’t need the same kind
of intensity and clarity when singing pop-rock as you do when sing-
ing opera. Having a fuzzy tone is okay, as long as that’s your choice.
Your microphone can help carry the sound if your tone isn’t clear and
focused, but you have to have some clarity to amplify. Because the lines
and phrases may not be as long and drawn out in this repertoire, you
also don’t need the intensity of long, legato lines, as opera singers do.
The latest technology in sound systems can instantly correct a singer’s
wayward pitch. Newer karaoke machines and microphones use this
technology, as do some famous singers. They don’t want you to know
that their mic is correcting their pitch, but it’s true. A live performance
of someone singing without the aid of pitch-correction technology
shows imperfections or minor fluctuations, whereas a studio recording
is perfectly mixed to add reverb to simulate resonance and edit out any
minor slips of tone. You want solid technique so that you sound great
without the aid of pitch correction.
Choosing to delay the onset of the vibrato is also perfectly legal. You
can sing with a straight tone and then allow the vibrato to happen later
or at the end of the phrase. As you ascend in pitch, you can allow the
sound to flip into another register or yodel. You can also allow the
sound to get lighter as you ascend instead of growing stronger, as you
may in opera or musical theater. Using a mix or a stronger middle voice
sound is a choice that female singers make; guys can choose whether
to use falsetto or head voice. (Chapter 11 tells you more about voice
sounds, including head voice, falsetto, and middle voice.) You may not
need a wide space in your mouth and throat as you do with other styles
of music, such as classical music.
Healthy technique: When singing pop-rock music, you want a basic,
solid, healthy technique, but your abilities need to blossom when it
comes time to strut your stuff onstage. Pop singers are expected to
dance and sing, so you need to be in shape (or be famous enough that
you can choose not to dance). Try dancing and singing along with your
favorite video, and you find that it takes skill to sing well when you’re
dancing full out. Because the sounds rock singers make are often scratchy
and close to screaming (think Meatloaf), rock singers need to be aware
of how to keep making the funky sounds that fans adore without causing
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Chapter 14: Training for Singing 19 ]
damage to their voice. Screaming too much for too long in concerts can
tax the voice and cause fatigue, strain, and tone changes. To prevent
damage, singers can use resonance to create sounds that they normally
make by screaming. See Chapter 7 for an explanation of resonance, and
see Chapter 13 for suggestions on working with resonance in the speak-
ing voice and belt.
Naming names: Karen Carpenter and Carly Simon (classic pop singers);
Billy Joel, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, and Ann
Wilson (classic rock singers); Katy Perry and Kesha (more contempo-
rary pop-rock singers).
Opting for opera
If you’re interested in training to sing opera, you have plenty of territory to
cover. Training for opera usually requires a long process of lessons or study,
which isn’t necessarily bad. Studying singing for a lengthy period isn’t a pun-
ishment: It gives you the opportunity to master your voice. For many singers,
the long process of studying also means starting early in life. Review the fol-
lowing list to see what you may experience as you train for opera.
Sound: Singing opera requires you to sing long phrases, sing loud
enough to be heard over an orchestra in large halls, and sing material
that’s musically demanding. For opera, the performance is about the
sounds the singer makes. The sounds are consistent and not as varied
as they are in jazz, musical theater, and pop-rock.
Healthy technique: When singing opera, the focus of the performance is
on the singing technique. Opera technique is bel canto technique, which
literally means beautiful singing; as you may expect, the space in your
mouth and throat needs to be wide open. Endurance for long operas is
an issue for singers. You want to practice enough that you can sing well
for the length of the opera, which can be two to four hours.
Language: Opera singers often sing in Italian, French, German, or
Russian. You don’t have to be fluent in all these languages, but you want
to be familiar enough with them that you can easily sing and sound like
you're fluent in them. You can work with a teacher or coach when train-
ing for each aria or opera, or you can take classes (called diction classes)
to help you see the words and pronounce them correctly. You also want
to be able to translate what your scene partner says so you know the dif-
ference between “I love you” and “I love those satin slippers.” You can’t
react appropriately if you don’t know what your scene partner said.
Naming names: Some familiar names in the opera world include Olga
Borodina (mezzo with warm, round tones), Renée Fleming (soprano with
luscious tone and a flexible voice), René Pape (bass with deep, rich, dark
sounds), and Bryn Terfel (baritone with fine diction and a good actor).
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] 92 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Showing your range with R&B
The sounds of the R&B singer vary from agile riffs to high belt. Finding a
voice teacher willing to work technique and apply it to this material is tricky.
Most teachers insist on working classical or musical theater material to build
technique. The basic technical skills the R&B singer needs are the same as
any other style: solid alignment, great breathing coordination, facile articula-
tion, and balanced registration. These skills are all addressed throughout this
book. If these skills are solid, the R&B artist can seek a coach to help polish
their style and material.
Sound: The R&B singer uses vibrato on the sustained tones in ballads
but a lot of phrases are conversational and don’t require vibrato. The
lyrics are very important and the sounds of the voice need to vary to
reflect the message. R&B singers use a microphone, so projecting the
tone isn’t as crucial as in the opera.
Healthy technique: R&B singers have to be versatile artists. An agile
technique is a must to sing riffs and belt into the top part of the range.
It’s tempting to use full chest voice to sing this style, but balancing the
weight of chest voice is crucial for your long-term vocal health. See
Chapters 11 and 13 for information about balancing the weight of chest
voice. The ability to be understood without overarticulating is also cru-
cial to the fast-paced stories in R&B songs.
Naming names: Beyoncé Knowles (remarkable solid technique and ver-
satile artist), Maxwell (comfortable showing off his falsetto and mix),
Rihanna (powerful singer, comfortable singing in her head voice and
then moving right into a belt), and Usher (comfortable creating luscious
tone as well as facile articulation).
Training to Sing at Any Age
If you can speak, you can sing — and you can enjoy singing no matter what
your age. I’ve had students in their 80s take classes, and they loved it. As long
as you're ready for the work it takes to develop a healthy technique, you’re
never too old to begin singing. However, to develop and foster a healthy sing-
ing technique, understanding how your voice may change with age is essen-
tial. Keep reading to find out the best way to train young singers (under the
age of 12) and teenagers, and get some insight into a few voice changes that
you may encounter at the different stages in life.
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Chapter 14: Training for Singing ] 93
Recognizing differences between
young singers and teens
Music preference may be the most obvious difference you encounter
between a young singer and a teenager, but other differences exist. Young
singers and teenagers are different in the following ways:
Range: Young singers have a limited range; they need songs with a narrow
range that focus on subjects they enjoy. Teenagers need music that’s a
little more hip and cool, yet still not incredibly taxing vocally, because
their voices are still developing. For teenage males who’ve recently expe-
rienced some voice changes, lower sounds may be new and temporarily
unreliable. A young singer probably has a range of fewer than 8 notes, and
a teenager likely has a range of between 8 and 16 notes.
Training: Most young singers can benefit from singing in a choir or join-
ing a group singing class just to explore music. If your youngster joins a
choir or group singing class, make sure that the class focuses on sounds
appropriate for his or her age. Really young singers often can’t make much
sound when they sing because their larynx is still growing and developing.
However, plenty of sound is usually the first thing a novice director asks
for. If your child ends up pushing or is really tired after rehearsals, explore
other choirs or classes that work at a more appropriate level.
Ro Many young singers want to sound just like the latest pop star. They
& don’t really realize that the pop star has all kinds of equipment and
sound engineers helping make the sounds. The more you can expose your
young singer to singers of the same age, the better. Take young singers
to elementary-school music concerts or junior-high concerts so that they
can hear their peers sing live and know what voices their age sound like.
Some teenagers with mature voices are ready for lessons and training.
As long as the teacher is quite good with adolescents, lessons can be
beneficial. If the teacher doesn’t allow the students to choose any songs,
or if the students aren’t allowed to pick anything fun to sing, they may
lose interest. Watch for consistent progress. You don’t have to know a
lot about singing to help your child. Keep asking questions, as you prob-
ably do about any other subject you aren’t familiar with, and listen to
your child talk about the songs (not wanting to practice is a good sign
the teenager doesn’t like the music) and enthusiasm for the next lesson.
ay? Some teenagers are more ready to take direction and constructive criti-
cism than other teenagers are. If your child’s ego is still a bit delicate,
you want to hire a teacher who can make positive changes in the teen’s
voice with humor and enthusiasm.
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Developing long-term technique
in teenagers
Most teenagers want to know only what they can do today to sound fabulous.
They may not know the long-term benefits of healthy technique, and they may
not have the patience to listen. However, using healthy technique and train-
ing their ears for singing is important for maintaining long-term technique.
Pushing the voice too far, too fast doesn’t help in the long term. This concept
is important for both parents and teachers to know. By pushing the voice, I
mean making big sounds, such as singing material that requires a big sound
before teenagers have the technical skill to support the sound. Working on
chatty sounds is fine at a young age, but making pressed or pushed sounds
may make producing healthy sounds more difficult later.
Having a healthy technique means singing within your range. An adult may
have a wide range, but a 13-year-old may have only an octave range (see
Chapter 1), which is about eight notes. Range develops with time, and push-
ing the singer higher offers no benefit in the long run. When the voice is
ready, the singer can make huge sounds for the rest of his life. Make sure that
your young teenager is aware of the advantages of using breath and reso-
nance to help him find a variety of sounds. Let him know that he can shoot
for the big guns later.
Something any singer, especially young singers, can work on to boost long-
term musical life is developing his ear. Matching pitch is a skill you can read
about in Chapter 4. If the youngster can match pitch but also sing a series of
pitches after hearing them for the first time, he is more likely to quickly con-
quer new songs. Ear training can also benefit singers who end up in the choir.
Singing the top soprano part may be easy because it’s on the top, but those
middle parts can be tricky to hear. If the youngster already has exposure to
intervals and chords, the middle part — or any part — can be a snap.
Understanding that voices
change with age
All voices change with age, whether you sing or not. That’s why, on the
phone, you can easily tell whether you’re speaking with a younger or older
person. The following list describes a few types of voice changes that may
affect singing and offers tips on how to work around them.
Puberty: Letting young men who are going through puberty sing is
okay. But because you really can’t predict what their voice is going to
do, puberty isn’t a good time for them to make a big debut. Being in an
all-male choir at that age can give the singer comfort because he knows
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Chapter 14: Training for Singing
w
that the rest of the guys are going through the same thing. Allow his
voice to wriggle and crack, and know that it’s going to become much
more steady in time. The female voice also changes during puberty, but
the change isn’t as extreme.
Menstrual cycle: One big physical aspect that affects the female voice
after puberty is the menstrual cycle. Not all women experience the same
symptoms during their menstrual cycle. Some experience a sluggish
feeling, as if the voice is really tired or the cords are swollen. Some expe-
rience difficulty with high notes or produce low notes that feel really
heavy. Other singers experience no change whatsoever.
Track your cycle so that you know the symptoms you experience right
before, during, and after your cycle. You may find that knowing the
timing of your cycle allows you to plan the concert or audition on just
the right day of the month.
Menopause: After menopause, women may experience a little more stiff-
ness in their singing. This stiffness is the result of a loss of elasticity in
their muscles after estrogen production slows. Menopausal women may
be able to keep their voices flexible with regular workouts. Continuing to
practice specific exercises for different areas of the voice increases the
chance of maintaining stamina in each particular area.
Aging: One common occurrence with aging is the wobble. You may
have heard older singers’ voices wobble when they sing. The wobble is
a result of a lack of muscle toning, specifically in the singing muscles.
Working your singing muscles on a regular basis can help keep that
wobble at bay. Getting lax with your breath is another common factor
that may contribute to a wobble in your singing. If your breath backs
off, your voice is more likely to flounder or wobble. A steady flow of air
helps keep the rate of the vibrato steady. You can also continue working
on exercises that move back and forth from straight tone to vibrato, to
help maintain your ability to support the vibrato.
Vibrato and a wobble aren’t the same. Vibrato is the normal undulation of
pitch when you sing. You may feel the slight shaking feeling in your throat
as the vibrato happens, and that’s normal. Wobble happens when the
vibrato rate is much slower than normal vibrato, which is about five to
eight pulses per second. See Chapter 6 for exercises that explore vibrato.
Training with a Choir
As an individual singer, you want to stand out and be unique. You want your
voice to carry the hall or resound so every person in the audience hears you.
Because having a resonant sound that projects is desirable in solo singing,
you may want to focus your attention on projecting your voice. However,
when singing with a choir, you may find the director holding his hand in front
of your face to get you to sing more quietly and blend in with others.
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In this section, I discuss the benefits of training with a choir. I also tell you
about the differences between singing as a soloist and singing in the choir. If
you decide that training with a choir is up your alley, I give you tips on how
to select a great choral director. (If you decide to sing as a soloist instead of
with a choir, check out Chapter 15 to find the right voice teacher for you.)
Enjoying the benefits of
singing in the choir
Many people thoroughly enjoy being in a choir. You get a chance to sing
different kinds of music, and you get to be around others who share your
interest in music. Making music with a group of people may give you just the
balance you need between practicing alone at home and singing with a group.
The following list details some of the benefits you gain from singing with a
choir.
You discover how to listen carefully. When singing in a choir, you have
to listen so that your voice blends with the voice of the person next to you,
as well as with the sounds of the particular type of song you’re singing. If
the music requires a specific style of singing, you have to work to make
sure that you’re making the appropriate sound with healthy technique.
You discover how to monitor your sound based on how it feels. If you
can’t hear your voice standing out, you have to rely on the feeling to
determine whether your technique is still in good shape. Monitoring
how your voice feels is a good idea because each room is different —
you can’t rely on the sound bouncing back to you.
Sometimes choral singers cup their hand around their ear to hear their
voice. You can try using this technique to direct the sound of your voice
back to your ears. Just make sure that the person next to you doesn’t
think that you’re trying to block out the sound of their voice.
/ You get an opportunity to work on your ear. Picking out your part
when the other voices of the choir are surrounding you is a good work-
out for your ear. Solo singers may not have someone else singing dif-
ferent notes in their ear. The choral singer may be mixed up with other
voices singing other parts and may have to rely on her ability to read
music or really listen for her note in a chord.
You get a chance to work on your social skills. In choirs, you often find
people who like similar music or are inspired by beautiful music. You
may feel right at home around people with similar interests, which can
boost your sense of belonging.
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Chapter 14: Training for Singing ] 9 7
You get to travel with the choir. You may have to raise money to go
on trips, but traveling with fellow musicians who enjoy making music
in beautiful concert halls can make it worth your while. Teenagers and
young singers often enjoy going on the road with the choir because they
get to travel around doing what they enjoy: singing with their peers.
You can work on reducing your performance anxiety by singing with
a group. Onstage with your peers, you may find that your anxieties
about performing dissolve. If you feel comfortable within a group, you
may be able to transfer that comfort level to your solo singing. If you
suffer from anxiety about singing in public, slowly work your way from
singing in the choir to auditioning for one of the solos with the choir.
The challenge and joy of singing in a group may be just the lift you need at
the end of a long week of work. Singing is a wonderful release and opportu-
nity to express your thoughts and feelings through music and singing. Joining
a choir may give you that regular opportunity to enjoy singing if you just
don’t have the time to practice on your own.
Singing in the choir versus going solo
Depending on how you want to explore your own singing voice, singing with
a choir may or may not be for you. Because the choral singer has differ-
ent needs, before you join a choir, you may want to explore the differences
between training with a choir and going solo:
You may frequently be asked to sing without vibrato when singing
with a choir; going solo, you often sing with vibrato. If you can make
the change in the sound without pressure, singing without vibrato
need not a problem. The sound without vibrato can be free and loose
and supported. (See Chapter 6 for an exercise that helps you to move
between straight tone and vibrato.)
/ You need to find a part that works for your voice and for the choir
director; going solo, you can sing songs within your range. The notes
may stay pretty high or low when you sing certain parts in the choir.
If you’re a low female voice, you may even be asked to sing with the
tenors. You can agree to sing tenor once in a while, but the part was
designed for the male voice, not the female voice. Good musicians who
sight read well may also be asked to sing a particular part to help the
choir even though it may not be appropriate for their voice. If you feel
tired after singing, you may want to ask whether you can switch to a dif-
ferent part or ask the director for advice on how to prevent fatigue.
You may be asked to sing quite loudly in the choir if few people are on
your part. Use this opportunity to rely on your knowledge of resonance
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so that you don’t push too hard. If you find yourself tired after singing
loudly, you need to take it easy for a while during the rehearsal so you
can rest up a bit, or talk with the choir director about how your voice
feels after rehearsal. Singing alone means that you can work at any
volume, without worrying about having to lead others with your voice.
You may be asked to stand for long periods of time when singing in a
choir; while rehearsing by yourself, you can rest whenever you need
to and give your legs a break. Having to stand for a rehearsal can pro-
vide a good opportunity to practice standing with your weight evenly
distributed on both legs. If you find this tiring, explore your options with
the director.
You need to be aware of your facial expressions when moving back
and forth from choir to soloist. Sometimes choir directors tell you to
raise your eyebrows or smile to keep the pitch steady. You can do this
as long as you know that, when you sing alone, you need to put your
eyebrows back down. You can keep the pitch steady by keeping your
breath consistent and by making sure that your vowels are precise.
Keeping your breath moving at a steady rate and singing precise vowel
sounds is easier than trying to move each pitch up or down. The smile
can also be deadly to a soloist: Smiles don’t work for sad songs when
you're a soloist. The smile also can cause tension inside your mouth
when you try to open the back space (the space in the back of your
mouth and throat). Find enjoyment in singing from the joy inside your
body, and let it reflect on your face without the tension of a frozen smile.
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Chapter 15
Finding the Right Voice Teacher
In This Chapter
Deciding what you want from lessons
Understanding common policies of voice teachers
Interviewing a potential teacher with specific questions
fron the person who’s just the right voice teacher for you can be tricky.
The different types of instructors available may be confusing. You may
have no idea how to select a voice teacher or what to expect from the lesson
itself. No matter what your level of understanding is, this chapter gives you
insight and advice on selecting a voice teacher. This chapter also helps you
know what to expect from the voice teacher, the lesson, and yourself.
Searching for the Best Voice Teacher
Regardless of your level of singing, if you want to improve your singing by
taking voice lessons, you need to do your homework to find the one who
best suits your needs. I provide you with some ways to find a voice teacher,
as well as some questions to ask both yourself and the prospective teacher
before you even step into the studio.
Finding a prospective voice teacher
You can track down a voice teacher in many ways. The following list makes
finding a good teacher simple.
ar
Get recommendations from friends who take voice lessons. Keeping
in mind that no teacher is perfect, ask your friends what they like and
don’t like about the teacher. Compare their preferences with your own.
Ask for suggestions at the local music store. The store may even have
someone on staff who can work with you. If not, the staff is probably
familiar with at least a few local voice teachers.
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Look for ads in the local newspaper or trade paper in print or online.
Before you give the person a call, have your list of questions ready. If
you feel uneasy during the conversation, just say that you want to think
about it.
Call the music school at the college nearest you. Many graduate stu-
dents make great voice teachers. They’re often in the heat of their train-
ing and want to share all the juicy information they’ve gleaned. They
may not have years of teaching under their belt, but that may work well
for you: The two of you can explore singing together.
Search online. You can also find voice teachers online. I recommend
starting at nats.org (the National Association of Teachers of
Singing, Inc.).
If possible, get input from current or former students about a particular
teacher before you make contact. Although no teacher is perfect for everyone,
if you hear one bad review after another, heed the warning that this teacher
probably isn’t the best choice.
Identifying what you want
You can’t get far choosing a voice teacher if you can’t identify what you want
out of your lessons. You may have questions for prospective voice teachers,
and they may also have some for you. To be prepared, consider the following
questions before you begin chatting with prospective teachers.
What exactly do you want from lessons? If you want to improve your
technique, sing higher notes, hold out phrases longer, or make yourself
understood, discuss these goals with your prospective voice teacher.
Your prospective voice teacher can tell you what she focuses on and
how a lesson may be structured around your goals, and you can see
whether that fits your wants and needs.
Are you doing this for fun or are you interested in developing a career
or exploring some major singing? If you’re looking for a singing career,
your teacher may move you through your lessons at a faster pace and
make more demands on your practicing; on the other hand, if you’re
taking lessons for fun, your prospective teacher may assign you different
kinds of songs or not worry so much about the business aspects of sing-
ing. You may be interested in being pushed a bit harder, even if you’re
singing just for fun, and you want to be sure that she’s willing to adjust
the pace to meet your needs.
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Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher 20 ]
How much time do you want to spend practicing? If you’re really busy
and can’t spend much time practicing, discuss this availability with your
prospective voice teacher. Find out whether she’s flexible enough to
provide lessons every other week to give you enough time to practice
between lessons.
4 What do you want to sing? Check out Chapter 16 if you aren’t sure
about your options. When you know what you want to sing, talk it over
with the teacher to see whether she teaches that style of music. Some
teachers teach only classical music and prefer that their students not
sing pop music or jazz. Working on classical music has great benefits,
but that may be the wrong choice for you.
Interviewing a prospective teacher
Finding out basic information about a prospective voice teacher, such as
qualifications and costs, is just as important as identifying what you want
from a voice teacher.
see Really good voice teachers are probably busy and quite booked with students.
& They may not have time to answer all your questions. If that’s the case, you
may want to try a few lessons and find out the answers during that time.
Either way can work quite well.
WING! If you call a teacher and start quizzing her as if she’s being audited, you may
% not get a good response. Treat the topics in upcoming sections as suggestions
for steering the conversation to get the answers you need. After all this ques-
tioning, if you get a good feeling about the teacher, give it a try.
Unfortunately, lessons cost money. You don’t want to get stuck adding up
costs at the last minute only to find out that you can’t afford them. The fol-
lowing sections include questions to help you get a grasp on how much
money yov’re gonna have to fork over. In addition, I tell you how to get some
answers about a prospective voice teacher’s background.
Experience
One of the first questions you want to ask a prospective teacher is “How
many years have you been teaching?” You want to find out whether this
person has been teaching more than just a few years. But don’t automatically
assume that you don’t want to work with a teacher who’s just getting started.
Consider the following:
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202 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
Some brand-new teachers are really great because they’ve recently had
so many lessons themselves. A newer teacher probably charges less
than someone with more experience and may have more options for
lesson times or may be more open to working on contemporary music,
such as pop or rock.
A more experienced teacher may know how to address the type of vocal
problems you want to focus on. He may also have years of experience
explaining how to do something and may have a variety of ways to
explain the technique so you’re sure to understand. If the prospective
teacher has been around for a while, you’re also more likely to find some
current or former students who can tell you about his strengths.
D If you have some serious vocal health problems, such as nodes or
severe acid reflux (see Chapter 23), I recommend finding an experienced
teacher who is familiar with rehabilitating voices.
anne! Avoid teachers who promise remarkable results in a very short period of
D time, claim to be the expert of a particular teaching method, offer only a few
exercises that are supposed to fix all vocal problems, and promise that only
they can give you the information that you need.
Education
Be sure to ask where the teacher studied or got her singing education. You
want a voice teacher who’s had years of performance experience or years
of lessons or training in a degree program that focuses on the voice. The
teacher doesn’t have to have a degree from an Ivy League school to be a
good teacher. She just needs to know a great deal about singing and know
how to pass on the knowledge of singing to her students.
If you’re interested in singing classical music or choral music in other lan-
guages, find out during your conversation whether this teacher has knowl-
edge of foreign languages. You can discover this answer by asking what kind
of songs the students sing.
Choir directors and piano teachers commonly also teach voice. As long as
this person knows quite a bit about how the voice works and how to help
when something goes wrong, it’s worth a try. If you do take lessons from the
choir director, find out how much of her training was about individual sing-
ing. Many degree programs allow choral directors to graduate without any
knowledge of how the voice actually works. They spend many hours coach-
ing choirs to make lovely sounds, but how to make those sounds is important
for voice lessons.
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Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher 203
Music styles
Find out whether the teacher focuses on different styles of music. For example,
does the teacher understand belting and how to teach it for musical theater?
You want to find out whether the teacher is interested in the same kind of
music you enjoy. If he only assigns songs and doesn’t allow the student to
choose, think about how you feel about his preferred style of music before you
commit. If you need help with a specific type of voice, such as a countertenor
(see Chapter 2), or if you want specific kinds of help with styles of singing, such
as jazz, pop, or belting, make sure that the prospective teacher can work with
your voice type or the particular style of singing you’re interested in pursuing.
Accompaniment
Ask whether the teacher plays the piano or has a pianist play. Keep in mind
that you’re seeking a voice teacher, not a pianist. Most voice teachers don’t
play the piano that well; they spend their days training the voice and may
have skipped the piano lessons. However, you want to ask this question,
because many voice teachers who don’t play the piano well hire a pianist
to accompany their students. You need to find out whether the cost for this
extra person is already figured into the cost of your lesson. Most times, it is.
If it’s not, however, you need to decide whether you're willing to take on the
added expense.
If the teacher doesn’t play and doesn’t have a pianist available, find out what
kind of system she has for working on music. Many teachers use accompani-
ment recordings for the students to sing along with. Your teacher also may
have a keyboard with songs already programmed into it. You may also con-
sider finding a rehearsal pianist to record songs for you so that you can take
a recording to your lessons and sing along.
Location
Where the teacher conducts lessons is another consideration. The teacher
may hold lessons in his home, at a studio, at a school, or even at your home.
If the teacher is willing to come to your home, that certainly may be your
most convenient option. However, keep in mind that you may have to pay
more for this convenience. (See the later section, “Cost.”)
Just as important, you need to know where the teacher’s students perform.
The teacher may tell you how many of his students are performing in local
productions or other local venues. Asking this question gives you an idea of
how familiar the teacher is with local performing venues, and you’ll get some
idea about the variety of students within the studio.
204 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
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Cost
The cost of voice lessons varies depending on location. The price of voice
lessons in New York City or San Francisco may be $100 and up for an hour-
long lesson, but you may pay only $50 for an hour’s instruction in a small
town in the Midwest. You may also want to ask the teacher whether you can
opt for a half-hour lesson (or an hour lesson every other week), if that fits
your budget better.
If you’re a beginner, you may prefer taking a half-hour lesson anyway. Your
muscles are just figuring out what to do, and your voice and brain may be
quite tired after a half hour of work. When your skills improve, you can
increase the time.
The fame of the voice teacher can also affect the cost. Voice teachers who’ve
had successful performance careers or famous students charge more than
teachers just starting out. The famous teacher may be able to help you with
contacts in the business as your technique advances, but high prices don’t
guarantee better results or a better teacher. You have to try some lessons to
know whether it works for you.
The price of lessons doesn’t guarantee the best or worst teacher. You may
find a young teacher just starting out who has terrific rates but doesn’t know
anything yet about teaching. The famous teacher who charges more than your
rent may not be the right teacher for you, either, if you resent having to shell
out the dough for lessons. Shop around and ask plenty of questions.
Payment policy
Ask about the teacher’s payment policy. If you agree to set a specific lesson
time each week with a teacher, the teacher may require that you pay in
advance. This policy is common with teachers who have large studios. Other
teachers may allow you to set up a lesson whenever you find enough money.
Ask about scheduling during your initial conversation so that you don’t
encounter any surprises.
You also want to ask about the method of payment. If your teacher requires
cash, you need to make sure that you hit the ATM before lessons. Checks are
usually acceptable, and many teachers accept credit cards in their studio or
via an online account. If you pay in advance, keep track of the number of les-
sons. Most teachers are good about keeping up with lessons, but you want to
know when that next payment is due.
Cancellation policy
You need to know the cancellation policy. You don’t want to be surprised
when you call in sick and the teacher requires you to pay for the missed
lesson. Most teachers require that you give 24 hours’ notice if you plan to
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Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher 205
cancel a lesson. Other teachers require that you make up a lesson within a
certain period of time to avoid being penalized. Teachers who have very full
studios may not even offer a cancellation policy. Be sure to ask so that you
know going in whether getting sick can cost you big bucks.
Knowing What to Expect from a Teacher
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A voice lesson is usually a time when youv’re alone with one person, so you
want to feel comfortable with that person and also feel positive about the
work you’re doing on your voice. To evaluate how well you work with your
teacher, you need to know what you can expect from her. This section gives
you an idea of what type of interaction to expect in your lessons.
You may need three to six months to really grasp the concepts in voice les-
sons and hear changes in your voice. You want to hear changes within the
first month, but the big concepts and tough technical exercises may take
awhile to gel. Enjoy each lesson with the understanding that you’re on a jour-
ney that you can’t make in one day.
Feeling good when you leave the lesson
Feeling good about your lesson is a two-way road. The purpose of a lesson is
to gain more information about singing, so you want your teacher to focus on
the work. However, you need to able to shoulder criticism well.
During a voice lesson, you’re doing plenty of singing, and your teacher needs
to give you feedback on the sounds you’re making and offer suggestions on
ways to improve those sounds.
Constructive criticism is about your singing technique and isn’t directed at
you personally. If you feel that your teacher isn’t giving you positive feedback,
ask for it.
Focusing on the work helps you see the teacher’s constructive criticism as a
means to get you to the next level. If you expect your teacher to do nothing
more than gush over your talents, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
Any teacher worth his salt isn’t going to shy away from telling you what
you're doing wrong (or right).
If you find a teacher who does nothing but praise you, you’re wasting your
time, because that type of lesson doesn’t help you improve.
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206 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
To feel confident at each lesson, you need to know what to practice. During
your lesson, your teacher needs to suggest exercises for you to practice to
help you improve your technique. He then needs to help you apply those
concepts to songs that you’re singing. If you aren’t sure about what to prac-
tice, you can ask your teacher to clarify which exercises to focus on for the
next lesson.
Working with imagery and other tools
Because you can’t see your voice, you need some tools to help you make
changes. One way to obtain these tools is to make sure that your lesson
involves working with a variety of techniques, such as imagery.
The teacher may use images to help you understand how to make the best
sounds. The teacher may ask you to notice the sensations as you sing, give
you something to visualize as you sing, or give you something to listen for.
All three approaches can work beautifully for you as you work on your voice.
You may also find that one approach works best for you. Knowing your pre-
ferred approach is good because you can translate what your teacher says
into your own language. For instance, if your teacher describes something to
you and explains the anatomy of why that worked, you may remember what
it felt like when you made the best sounds. If you enjoy working with images,
you can find a way to visualize the sound to enhance your experience.
Don’t fret if a teacher wants to explain physically what’s happening. You may
not want to know in the beginning, but later you may be glad that you under-
stand why a particular image works.
Applying tried-and-true singing methods
Teaching people to sing is an old profession. If you encounter a teacher who
claims to have a “never-before-revealed, life-altering system of teaching,” be
wary. You want a teacher who bases her teaching on facts, not just experi-
ments. Your voice may be very different from your teacher’s voice. That’s not
a problem if your teacher has been teaching for at least five years. Hopefully
she’s encountered different vocal problems and figured out a way to work
with them.
If you discuss lessons with a prospective teacher and she doesn’t have a
“system” of teaching, that’s okay. Many great teachers combine all the infor-
mation they’ve encountered into their own method.
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Chapter 15: Finding the Right Voice Teacher 20 7
Knowing What to Expect from Voursel{
Yes, you do have to take some responsibility for creating your own singing
success. Although knowing what to expect from your teacher is important
(see the previous section for details), understanding what you need to be
doing in and out of your lessons is just as important.
Developing your own practice process
You may have a weekly lesson with your voice teacher, but you have to
practice between lessons to apply the techniques discussed each week.
Practice leads to improvement. (For more details about practicing, check
out Chapter 10.)
The best way to create a practice routine that works for you is to record any
lessons and practice sessions and to keep notes in a journal. You want to
record the lesson so that you can listen to it to hear the changes you make
during that time. Taking notes as you listen to the tape helps you figure out
how you made those changes so that you can make them again on your own.
The concept and purpose of an exercise is more important than the exercise
itself. For example, you can find many ways to work on breath, but the princi-
ple of moving breath is more important than one exercise. So when your
teacher assigns you an exercise, make sure that you understand what it’s for
and how to use it. Simply doing an exercise isn’t going to help you improve if
you don’t know what to do or what to listen for.
At the end of each voice lesson, I recommend that singers recap what they
need to practice before the next lesson. If you recap the big concepts that
you intend to focus on, you and your teacher both have a list of goals. Your
goal is to do the work, and your teacher’s goal is to listen to you sing at the
next lesson to determine whether you need to continue in the same direction
or expand your work.
Avoiding overworking your flaws
In your lesson, you want to focus on the entire voice and find a good balance
of skills in all areas. If you spend too much time on the “flaw,” you may get
discouraged and feel like you can’t do anything. Find a balance for your prac-
tice session and your lesson so that you work on techniques you do well and
others that you don’t do well. Hopefully the list of what you don’t do so well
grows shorter with each practice session.
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208 Part Ill: Advanced Techniques to Improve Your Voice
If you find that your teacher is focusing so much on your flaws that you’re
becoming discouraged, ask your teacher for feedback on what you’re doing
well. Don’t be shy about asking for positive reinforcement in lessons. Your
teacher may assume that you know what you’re doing well and may not be
telling you as often. If you call this to his attention, he can offer you some
needed words of encouragement.
Making Vour First Lesson a Success
If you’ve never had a voice lesson, you may be nervous during your first
lesson. The teacher knows that the first lesson is a little bit scary and may
encourage you to be brave and try to make some new sounds. Admit that
you're nervous and know that feeling this way is perfectly normal.
After you choose a voice teacher and know what to expect from the lesson,
check out the following list to get a few tips on how to make your first lesson
go smoothly.
Before your first lesson, ask the teacher whether you need to bring your
recorder. She may have one that you can use at the studio. If not, you
want to bring one.
Bring along a bottle of water to keep your throat moist during all the
wi singing.
ANG?
S Don’t set the water on the piano unless your teacher tells you that it’s
okay. Pianos are expensive, and spilling your water into the baby grand
makes a really bad (and expensive) lasting impression.
If the lesson is in a school or other location without supplies, you may
also want to bring along a small mirror. Check out the list of supplies
that you may need for practicing or lessons in Chapter 10.
Ask how many copies of the music to bring. Some instructors want you to
bring an extra copy of the song for them or the pianist. See Chapter 16 for
ideas on locating sheet music.
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Part IV
Preparing to
Perform
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
“Very nice audition, Vince. Let’s talk a minute
about that little thing you do at the end with
the microphone,”
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In this part...
J part packs in plenty of information. If you’re
itching to choose some songs, check out the list of
suggestions about choosing songs and finding the sheet
music. I also offer a step-by-step process to help you get a
new song under your belt in less time and more effectively
than trying to cram all the details in one session.
One of the great joys of singing is adding acting skills. You
get performance pointers to add to your dependable
technique to help you look good and give your audience a
reason to watch you sing.
If you’re interested in the bright lights of Broadway or an
audition in your hometown, you also get advice on overcoming
stage fright, as well as tips for a great audition. It’s time to
take your technique beyond the practice room!
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Chapter 16
Selecting Your Music Material
In This Chapter
Defining beginner, intermediate, and advanced songs
Exploring some familiar songs
Finding songs online or in music stores
n this chapter, you discover how to choose an appropriate song and
where to find the music. I show you how to choose the right style and key,
find a song at your level, and show off your strengths. Knowing whether to
buy the original score, a fake book (a book with only the melody line, chord
symbols, and words), or sheet music makes your shopping experience so
much easier. When you’ve narrowed your choices, you can look for the right
music in your local music store or download the music digitally.
Choosing the Song
Starting a new song can be so much fun. Digging into the phrasing, the story,
and the vocal challenges of a new song can provide hours of entertaining
work. But the process of choosing the song can stump many singers. Keep
reading for some tips on how to select the right song for you.
Finding songs at your level
Your level of expertise and technical ability at this moment in time is the
primary determination when finding music to sing. Choosing a song that’s
too hard for you is sure to frustrate you. On the other hand, selecting mate-
rial that’s too easy for you may give you fun songs to sing, but it won’t help
advance your singing technique.
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2 ] 2 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Re Choosing songs at your level requires you to balance your current abilities
& with what you want to accomplish. To advance your singing technique, you
want to choose songs that are just a little outside your comfort zone. Selecting
a song to sing for a performance is different from selecting songs to practice
and songs that help you develop technique. Songs for a performance need to
highlight your level of ability at the time of the performance. For example, you
may choose to perform a song that was once a little difficult for you but that
you practiced long enough to master the technical challenges.
The following list includes the three basic song levels you want to choose
from. (For more info, check out Appendix A, which lists songs in different
styles of music for beginner- and intermediate-level singers.)
Beginner: Beginner songs have simple rhythms, a narrow range, an
accompaniment part that plays the singer’s melody, a melody line and
accompaniment that are the same, and simple articulation opportunities.
Examples of a beginner song include “The Sound of Music” and
“Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music. “The Sound of Music” has rhythms
that are fairly easy to count, and the range isn’t too extreme. “Edelweiss”
also has easy rhythms, a narrow range, and smooth lines to help you
work on phrasing.
Other beginner songs include the following:
e The folk ballad “Greensleeves”
e The Old Scottish Air “Auld Lang Syne”
e The traditional air “Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes,” by Ben
Jonson
e “In The Gloaming,” by Mete Orred and Annie F. Harrison
e The spiritual “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”
e “Killing Me Softly,” as sung by Roberta Flack
e “You Light Up My Life,” by Joe Brooks
e “Love Me Tender,” by Elvis Presley and Vera Matson
Intermediate: [Intermediate songs have harder rhythms that test you a
bit beyond your current level. If you’re an intermediate-level singer, you
can opt for a wider range, a few high notes to test your top notes, more
difficult intervals that challenge your ear, and opportunities to explore
more detailed articulation. The piano accompaniment may not follow
the melody note for note.
Some intermediate songs include “Over the Rainbow,” from The Wizard
of Oz, and “My Favorite Things,” from The Sound of Music. “Over the
Rainbow” is an intermediate song because the rhythms are a little more
complex and varied than in a beginner song, such as “Edelweiss,” and
the leaps are much wider than in songs that move in stepwise motion.
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Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material 2 13
“My Favorite Things” moves quickly, with more variety and more com-
plex rhythms than “The Sound of Music” from the same show, and the
articulation of text has to be much faster. After you get some experience
working on slower songs, such as “Edelweiss,” to get your articulation
fluid, a song like “My Favorite Things” offers you the challenge of articu-
lating faster.
The following is a list of familiar intermediate-level songs that you may
recognize:
e “Crazy,” by Willie Nelson
e “You're So Vain,” by Carly Simon
e “You Oughta Be Here With Me,” from Big River
e “Desperado,” by Don Henley and Alen Frey
e “O sole mio!,” by E. di Capua (tenor)
Advanced: An advanced song is a song that really tests your skills. The
melody you sing may be completely different from the accompaniment
and have intervals that don’t always blend with the piano music. You
may be confronted with long notes that require breath control, several
high notes that demand skill in execution, a detailed story that requires
you to make the journey of the text as you use your technical skill, text
that enables you to portray the height of the story, and an opportunity
to convey the specific style appropriate for the song, such as high belt,
classical legit, or the twang of a country song. I discuss training for dif-
ferent styles of singing in Chapter 14. See Chapter 13 for more on belt-
ing. You know your voice well by the time you’re an advanced singer, so
I don’t include songs for advanced singers in Appendix A.
A list of advanced songs you may know include the following:
e “Take Me or Leave Me,” from Rent
e “Miss Independent,” by Kelly Clarkson
e “Habanera,” from the opera Carmen, by Bizet (mezzo)
e “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth,” from The Messiah, by Handel
(soprano)
e “Se vuol ballare, Signor contino,” from The Marriage of Figaro (Le
Nozze di Figaro), by Mozart (bass)
The upcoming sections can help you figure out your level of expertise.
Considering your range
If your range is about eight notes, a beginner song works for you. An inter-
mediate song has a range less than two octaves, and an advanced song may
have a range wider than two octaves. For more on musical notation, see
Chapter 1.
2 ] 4 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Re S TUg,
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An octave is eight white notes on the piano, and two octaves are 16 white
notes apart. To go up an octave from a black key, find the next black key in the
same pair of two or three black notes.
Making leaps
How comfortable are you singing big leaps in a melody? Many beginner songs
move in stepwise motion, which means that the notes in the melody are right
next to each other. An example you may know is “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Yes, it’s a nursery rhyme, but try singing it — you'll notice that most of the
notes are right next to each other, and that’s stepwise motion.
Intermediate songs have bigger leaps of skipping five or six notes, and
advanced songs can have leaps up to eight notes, or an octave. Wider inter-
vals (the distance between two notes) challenge your ear. Spend some time
working the larger intervals in a song to make sure that your throat stays
open (see Chapter 6), your breath is flowing consistently (see Chapter 4), and
your larynx stays steady (see Chapter 5). Singing wider intervals also makes
you listen more. If you figure out the wider intervals, you’re more likely to
repeat that sound when you see the same interval in your next song.
Climbing higher
What’s the highest note you can sing successfully? Suppose that your highest
note is F5, or the top line on the treble clef staff (see Chapter 1 for an expla-
nation about staff and F5). Then consider these strategies:
If youre a beginner, you want to choose a song that has most notes
below D5 or E5 and maybe only one F5.
If youre an intermediate singer with the same range, you want to choose
a song that has one or two opportunities to sing that F5.
If you’re an advanced singer, you know your voice well enough to deter-
mine how many times you can sing that F5 with ease. A soprano may
sing her highest note four to five times in an advanced song, but a mezzo
may want only one or two repetitions of her highest note. The same is
true for a tenor and a baritone or bass; the tenor can handle more rep-
etitions of those high notes than a baritone or bass. (For more on voice
types, see Chapter 2.)
Battling fatigue
What causes you to get tired as you're practicing? Many singers tire when
they sing a song in which most notes stay at the top of their range. Even if the
song doesn’t have many repetitions of your highest note, if the majority of
the notes sit near that top note, you may get tired. Think of singing as similar
to lifting weights. You can lift a weight several times, but how long can you
hold it up? When you're staying near the top part of your range, you’re hold-
ing up the weight — in other words, you’re using quite a bit of body energy to
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Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material 2 15
«P
ANG/
N
maintain that physical exertion. If the high notes come at rapid-fire pace, that
may be just the thing to get you singing the notes without worrying about it,
but it can also be quite a challenge.
The more you practice and get to know your singing voice, the better you can
answer this question.
Speeding along
What is the song’s speed? A song’s speed may cause you to spit out words at
the speed of lightening. If you’ve been working on articulation (see Chapters 8
and 9), you can spit out those words easily without getting tense from the
constant movement of your articulators (tongue and lips).
Beginner songs are often slower, so you can articulate and really notice
the movement of your lips and tongue.
Intermediate songs may move at a faster pace and have tougher combi-
nations of sounds.
vy Advanced songs may be quite fast and require you to make your words
understood as your melody bounces along the page.
Following your accompaniment
How confident are you singing with a piano or other musical accompaniment?
A beginner song usually has the melody line played by the piano and in
an obvious way.
An intermediate song may have the melody line in the piano part, but
the chords may be thicker and your melody may be harder to pick out.
An advanced song may have an accompaniment that is totally different
from the melody written for the singer.
Paying attention to detail
How comfortable are you at combining multiple details when singing a song?
When you look at a song or hear it for the first time, you probably need to
hear it a few times to get a feel for it.
If you have to listen for a few weeks to get the notes right, the song is too hard
for you right now.
By breaking down the details when you figure out a song (see Chapter 17),
you’re more likely to get all the pieces of the song working faster. If your
ear picks up a tune pretty fast, you may assume that you can take on harder
songs. Give yourself some time to work on songs and master a variety of
technical details, such as breathing, articulation, and storytelling, before you
jump to more advanced songs.
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2 ] 6 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Telling a story
How familiar are you with acting and singing at the same time? Actors on tele-
vision or stage make it look so easy, but acting and singing at the same time
is a skill to make the song sound good and look good at the same time.
Beginner songs often work for either gender and have easier stories
to tell.
Intermediate songs often contain more detailed lyrics.
Advanced songs often are written for a specific gender, with a through-
line in the story.
See Chapter 18 for more on acting and singing.
Picking up the rhythm
How comfortable are you with rhythms? Some singers can pick up rhythms
quickly, whereas others struggle to hear the difference between sounds.
Beginner songs often have simple rhythms to allow the singer to focus
on one or two types of rhythms.
Intermediate songs have a wider variety of rhythmic combinations.
Advanced songs may have complex rhythms.
For more help with rhythms, check out Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by
Mark Phillips and Jon Chappell, or Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Blake
Neely (both published by Wiley). If you know a bit about rhythms, you can
look at the song and determine whether the piece is complicated musically.
Determining the appropriate key for you
You may hear a great song on the radio and rush out to get the sheet music
so you can sing it at home. The trick is to read music well enough to know
whether the song’s notes are within your range. You don’t have to know
everything about what’s on the page; you just need to know enough to dis-
cern the difference between the right key for you and the wrong key.
When a singer says, “I need this song in a higher key,” he means that he
wants the notes of the song higher. After looking at the song, you may also
determine that you want the notes to be lower — that is, you need to sing the
song in a lower key. A song’s key just means that the song is written with one
note as the central note, or tonic. That central note is the name of the key. If
Middle C is the central note, you regularly return to Middle C in the song. You
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Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material 2 ] 7
don’t have to know all about reading music, but you need to know whether
you want the song four steps higher or two steps higher. Wanting the song in
a higher key means you want the song to sit higher in your range.
Sometimes singers ask, “What’s my key?” when they actually mean, “What’s
my range?” Not every song that has Middle C as the central note has the
same range. You want to be able to describe your range (see Chapters 2
and 12) and to know whether you need the song in a higher or lower key.
Selecting a suitable song style
You may love to listen to operatic arias but aren’t yet able to sing one. Your
voice may be suited to belting out show tunes, even though your car radio is
set to the country music station. If you’re choosing a song to sing for fun and
for your own listening pleasure, settle on a song in a style that you like but
that also challenges you to use your knowledge of technique. You can choose
some songs to sing for fun and some that make you work a little harder on
your technique.
Chapter 20 helps you choose an audition song that works for you. Other
styles of music require similar thoughts. If you’re going the classical route,
make sure that the music is appropriate for your voice type. If you’rea
mezzo-soprano, opt for arias written for that voice. Arias written for the
mezzo voice often have the same range as arias written for sopranos, but the
notes in the soprano aria stay higher than the mezzo arias. Read Chapter 2
for information about voice types and how to determine yours. For pop, folk,
country, and other styles of singing, see Chapter 14 for more information
about singing different musical styles.
Singing to your strengths
You want to emphasize your particular singing talents whether you sing at
your cousin’s wedding, at a family gathering, for an audition, in church, or as
part of karaoke night at a local pub.
The following list highlights skills and strengths you can emphasize. If your
strength is
A lovely tone, choose a nice ballad that enhances your tone. Examples
of songs that showcase a lovely tone include “A Dream Is A Wish Your
Heart Makes” from Cinderella and “To Make You Feel My Love” by Bob
Dylan.
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2 ] 8g Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Acting, choose a great story song with a conflict that you work through
as you sing the song. Examples of good story songs include “I Can’t
Make You Love Me,” by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin (female); and
“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” by Allan Clarke, Roger Cook, and
Roger Greenaway (male).
A strong head voice, sing a song that has some high notes, such as “Oh,
Holy Night,” by D. S. Dwight and Adolphe Adam, in the high key.
An ability to sing notes quickly and easily, sing “Rejoice” (female),
from Messiah, by Handel.
Y Proficiency in switching quickly between registers, sing “The Lonely
Goatherd” (female), from The Sound of Music, by Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein.
A strong chest voice, sing “Ol’ Man River”(male), from Showboat, by
Jerome Kern.
A strong range from top to bottom, sing “Crying” (male), by Roy
Orbison and Joe Melson.
Your great sense of humor, poke fun at yourself and sing “Great Balls of
Fire” (male), by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer.
Shopping for Sheet Music
When you finally know what you want, you have to go shopping to get it.
Choosing music may be the harder of the tasks. You have the choice of walk-
ing into a store and looking at the music or letting your fingers do the buying
online or over the phone. You may be able to check out sheet music at your
local library and purchase it later, if you like it.
Finding retail outlets
If you like to hold music in your hand before you make a decision to buy,
search online or look in the phone book for your local music store. You can
call the store to ask whether it carries vocal music before you hop in the car.
If the store doesn’t carry your song, it may offer to order it for you. Ask the
clerk whether you have to purchase it if you decide you don’t like the key or
that particular arrangement of the song.
Some stores allow you to browse online or call and ask for advice. Most large
bookstores carry music, and if they don’t have your music, they can order it
for you or you can call the customer service department and order it.
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Chapter 16: Selecting Your Music Material 2 ] 9
NING,
%
Several music distributors have online catalogs that you can browse, and
some offer help online or over the phone. The following list offers some of
the more useful Web sites and their specialties.
Hal Leonard is the world’s largest publisher of printed music. You can
browse the company catalog online at www. halleonard.comor write
Hal Leonard Corporation, P.O. Box 13189, Milwaukee, WI 53213. You
can’t buy music directly from the company, but you can get your local
store to order it for you or follow links at the Web site to find a retailer.
If you’re looking for classical music that’s a little tricky to find or for
some help finding your song, check out Classical Vocal Reprints, at
www.classicalvocalrep.com. The owner, Glendower Jones, is happy
to help you in your quest to find that favorite classical or musical the-
ater song. Call him for some advice at 800-298-7474 in the United States.
You can browse a huge catalog of songs at the TIS Web site at www.
tismusic.com, order online, or call 800-421-8132 (or locally at 812-355-
3005) to purchase by phone.
Amazon.com also sells songbooks and sheet music. You can’t get indi-
vidual answers to your questions if you need to call, but you can easily
browse the collection of music to find your song in sheet music form or
in a song collection book.
Downloading sheet music
Online sheet music stores enable you to search a Web site for a specific
song — sometimes even in the specific key you want. You may have to
download software from the site to read the song, but this option is worth
exploring, especially if you prefer to shop online. Type sheet music or digital
sheet music into your favorite search engine, or try these Web sites:
www.musicnotes.com allows you to see page one of the music and use
its software to hear samples of the music.
www.sheetmusicdirect.com enables you to download free software
to hear, view, and transpose the music before printing and purchasing.
1# www.sheetmusicnow.com lets you view a sample of a classical song
before purchasing.
Web sites that offer cheaper prices may be selling a fake book, which doesn’t
include the piano part. A fake book has just the melody, chord symbols, and
the words. If you choose this copy, your accompanist has to make up the
accompaniment. Some accompanists are good at this; others aren’t.
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Flipping through compilation books
As you shop online, you have the choice to buy the song in a single sheet
of music or in a compilation book, which contains a collection of songs that
usually follow a theme, such as movie theme songs, love songs, pop hits of
a certain decade, or a particular artist’s songs. You have to decide whether
you want to pay a little extra to have a few more songs or just get the song in
the exact key you want for a smaller fee.
As you look through a compilation book, check the key of the songs that
you like to make sure that they’re in your range. Songs are often printed in
keys that are easy to play on the piano, which doesn’t mean it’s the best key
for your singing voice. Know your range and your comfort zone for singing
before you shop. If you buy the book online, you won’t know which key each
song is printed in. You may have to explore the book in a music store or a
bookstore that sells songbooks to decide whether the collection is for you.
Checking out music at your local library
The library is a great place to search for music. It’s free, and you can check
out the book to try the song at home at your own pace. If you find that it’s
not in the right key, you save yourself a few dollars and some frustration.
You can even take the music to a pianist to play through it for you if your
music-reading skills are still pretty new. If you decide that you like the song,
jot down the name of the songbook, along with the name of the publisher and
edition of that publication. Some books are republished and songs are added.
Ask before you purchase so you aren’t disappointed.
If you own the original sheet music, making a photocopy of the song for your
own use is legal. For more information about making a legal copy of your
music, visit www. copyright . gov or type copyright music into your favorite
search engine.
At musical theater auditions, taking along a photocopy of the song is okay. At
most classical auditions, taking an original is customary. You may be able to
use a photocopy for the audition, but at competitions involving classical
music, you’re required to own the original. The reason? Songwriters deserve
to make a living by selling their music.
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Chapter 17
Mastering a New Song
In This Chapter
Separating the words from the melody
Figuring out the music as it’s written on the page
Finding ways to use your vocal technique
Knowing when to take a breath
M astering a new song is tough. In this chapter, you discover how to
take the song apart and study it step by step. I even work through
a song with you to give you hands-on practice. After reading this chapter,
you'll be ready to master a new song by yourself.
Tackling a Song in Steps
Getting a new song is so much fun. The new melody and new words make you
want to just burst out singing.
Many singers try to conquer all the details of a brand-new song in one ses-
sion. But picking up an unfamiliar song and getting the words, rhythms, and
melody right at the same time may take more than one session. The process
goes much quicker if you take some time to scan the song, break it down into
manageable pieces, and then conquer it one piece at a time.
By scanning, | mean checking these musical details:
Direction of the melody: A melody can move up or down in stepwise
motion, meaning that the notes are right next to each other or just one
step away from each other, or in leaps, called intervals. The more you
look at your music, the more you get used to seeing the notes on the page
and knowing what the distance between those two notes sounds like.
How the rhythm and the words work together: The melody may have
one note for every word or syllable, or you may have to sing two or
three notes for every syllable.
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Repeating sections: Sometimes music is written with no repeats; other
times, certain sections repeat. Look at the music for signs to indicate
what you’re supposed to repeat.
1#” Speed: Tempo, or speed, markings usually appear at the beginning of
the piece. Sometimes the words describing the tempo are in Italian. Look
up the word so you know the speed the composer intended.
Volume variations: In music, volume (degree of loudness and softness)
is called dynamics. Dynamic levels are also often written in Italian.
If you give yourself time to absorb these details one at a time, you can master
the song much more quickly than if you try to cram it all into your head.
Read on to find out how to create steps in your discovery process. To sing
a song as the composer intended, you need to understand these notations.
See Music Theory For Dummies, by Michael Pilhofer and Holly Day (Wiley), for
more help with reading musical notation.
Follow the song in Figure 17-1 as you read through the following sections.
Memovrizing the lyrics as text
Look at the lyrics as a monologue or a story. Write or type the words, includ-
ing the punctuation, so you can examine the lyrics apart from the melody and
take a look at the big picture. If the song has words that you don’t know, look
them up. Find the meaning and the pronunciation of all the words in your
song. Notice the punctuation, because you can breathe at the punctuation
marks in a song. (See the section “Paying attention to punctuation,” later in
this chapter.)
Read the lyrics out loud so you can hear the inflection of the words. As you
read the lyrics, look for the operative words — the words that you empha-
size in normal, natural, everyday speech. Operative words are nouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs. The rest of the words in the sentence are important
but aren’t usually emphasized. Keep reading the text aloud until it sounds
conversational.
If you keep forgetting the words, speak through the text quickly until you no
longer stumble on the words. You can also use key words in phrases to help
you remember what comes next. Create a system to help you remember the
order of each phrase’s key word. Just knowing whether the list has some
common characteristics can help you remember key words to get to the next
phrase.
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 223
Sometimes when you read poetry or lyrics for the first time, they don’t make
complete sense. The more you read them, the more you’re able to under-
stand the meaning behind the words. When you really have a grasp on the
words, memorize them. You may find that it takes only a short time to memo-
rize the words.
Tapping out the rhythm
Even if you don’t read music well, you can tap out the rhythms. Just look
at the rhythms on the page and try to tap them out without worrying about
words or speed. The first time you try, it may be difficult, but after some
practice, you get accustomed to certain rhythm patterns and can quickly
master them.
Lucky for you, only a few rhythms need to be worked out in the sample song
“Simple Things” (refer to Figure 17-1). The rhythm in this song is a great
example of what I mean by a beginner song. (Chapter 16 has more informa-
tion about beginner, intermediate, and advanced songs.) I chose a beginner
song for you to explore so you can feel totally confident about figuring out
rhythms.
For more help on reading rhythms, pick up a copy of Piano For Dummies, 2nd
Edition, by Blake Neely (Wiley).
After you tap out the rhythm of your new song, try speaking the words in
rhythm. Speaking the words in rhythm can help you solidify some of the
rhythms and divisions of syllables.
Reading the time signature
To figure out a song’s rhythms, you have to know a little about reading
music. At the very beginning of a song, you can find some numbers that look
like a fraction. This fraction, or time signature, tells the singer how to divide
the beats between each bar line. As you look at the music in Figure 17-1,
notice the single vertical line between the words simple and feeling at the
beginning of the song. That line is called a bar line. In that bar, or measure,
the time signature indicates that you find four beats: The top number of the
time signature 4/4 indicates how many beats you find in each bar; the bottom
note indicates what kind of note gets one beat. (4/4 is also notated as C,
which means common time.) Because the top number is four, each measure
has four beats. The bottom note is also four, which means the quarter note
gets one beat.
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224 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Simple Things
Words and Music by
Moderato, a = 96-104 Martha Sullivan
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 225
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226 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
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Knowing how long to hold notes
In “Simple Things,” the song in Figure 17-1, you find three kinds of rhythms:
eighth notes, quarter notes, and half notes. The duration of notes is similar
to math.
The first two notes in “Simple Things” are eighth notes, and because quarter
notes get one beat, eighth notes get half a beat each. When you see a note
with a dot next to it, you hold the note for the full duration of the note plus
half of the original value. For example, the quarter note with the dot next to
it at the word are indicates that you hold the note for one beat plus another
half, for a total of one and a half beats.
On Track 61, the singer taps out the rhythm of “Simple Things” and says “Tah”
for each note. Listen to the track several times until you can distinguish
between eighth notes and quarter notes.
Even though listening to a recording to get a song in your ear is easy, try to
avoid that method. You may want to hear your favorite artist singing the hit
song you’ve chosen to sing, but most recordings differ from the music as it’s
written. Of course, if you want to hear and sing a song just for fun, by all
means, get out the recording and sing along.
Singing the melody (without the words)
Sing the melody without the words. This may seem like strange advice, but
singing the melody without having to worry about whether you're getting the
words right helps you fix the melody in your mind and also focus on your
breathing technique (see Chapter 4), back space (see Chapter 6), and legato
line (see Chapter 6). Add the words after you have the melody down.
On Track 62, you hear a singer singing the melody line on a single vowel. You
can sing along while watching the melody line of the song in Figure 17-1. You
know the rhythm, so add the melody to the familiar rhythm.
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Defining musical elements in different styles
Music written on the page is the same for any
style of music. The notation is the same, but
how the music is performed isn’t the same. In
opera and classical music, singers sing exactly
what's on the page. They memorize all the
words, notes, musical directions, and mark-
ings. That's a lot to memorize and to get exactly
right. Classical singers have to be good musi-
cians, because they have to follow the road
map exactly as the composer intended.
In musical theater, the singer follows what's on
the page, especially for earlier, more traditional
songs. In later musical theater songs (material
influenced by pop and rock), a singer may sing
the basic notation on the page but take liber-
ties with the rhythm and timing in the measures.
Singers often back phrase, or take liberties with
the rhythms and timing while the piano contin-
ues playing what's on the page. The singer
and pianist end up back together in the next
measure.
For pop, rock, R&B, and jazz, the singer takes
a lot of liberties with both the melody and the
rhythms written on the page. The R&B singer
adds notes to the melody, commonly called
riffs. Riffs are musical improvisation on the
melody written on the page. In Chapter 12, you
can practice some of the most common riffs
you hear in songs. The pop singer also riffs, but
not as much as the R&B singer. The phrasing
in these styles of music is more causal than
in classical music, and it’s more common for
the singer to not hold out notes at the end of
phrases, even though a long note may be writ-
ten on the page. The jazz singer improvises with
the pianist. The pianist may improvise a seg-
ment of the music, and the singer Joins in when
the piano finishes. The singer may also improv
on the melody while the pianist follows along.
Jazz singers need a good ear for music so they
know when to come back in based on the chord
progression they hear.
Putting words and music together
Are you ready for the last round? It’s time to put all the puzzle pieces
together. Because you already know the words, rhythm, and melody, singing
the words with the melody is a breeze.
yourself.
On Track 63, listen to all the parts put together. The first time through, the
singer sings the song with you. The second time through, you get to sing by
Notice how long the musical introduction lasts so that you’re prepared when
you sing by yourself. If you’re not sure what to do during this introduction,
check out Chapter 18 for some ideas on acting.
Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 22 7
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228 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
This same step-by-step process can lead you to great discoveries of new
songs. Take your time when you find a new song and get all the steps down.
With each new song, you get faster and faster. Pretty soon, you can get a
song down in no time. Have fun singing along.
Using Vocal Technique in Vour New Song
When you begin a new song, the first thing you probably want to do is sing it
over and over. That’s fine, as long as you take some time to apply some work
to your singing technique. You can sing along with the exercises on the CD,
which helps you advance your singing technique, and then you can apply
that technical skill to songs. By breaking down your game plan for a song,
you can work on technique and a song at the same time.
Giving Voice to vowels
Working on single vowels in the exercises on the CD is a great way to make
sure that you know how to make distinct vowel sounds. When you know the
sounds of each vowel (see Chapter 8), you can apply the same work to your
song. Taking the time to focus on which vowel sounds you make in each
word helps you improve your technique in singing vowels with each practice.
Singling out one vowel
As you explore the melody of a new song, sing it on a single vowel to find
a legato (smooth and connected) line and work on your breath moving
smoothly through long phrases. You can apply this idea as you sing along to
the CD with the melody of “Simple Things” (refer to Figure 17-1) on a single
vowel. See “Singing the melody (without the words),” earlier in this chapter,
to find the correct CD track to sing along with.
Streaming through the vowels
You can also sing the song on a stream of vowels. The stream of vowels in a
song is the vowel sounds in the words minus the consonant sounds. When
you can successfully speak through the vowels in one continuous stream of
sound, apply that stream of vowels to the melody: Sing straight through the
song without pausing between each vowel sound. This exercise helps you
really listen to each vowel to make it distinct. Adding the consonants back in
allows you to make those specific vowel sounds followed by very clear con-
sonant sounds.
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Making the song your own
Preparing a song for an audition means under-
standing how to read the sheet music a little.
When you know what's written, you can work
on making the song your own.
For example, if you listen to a famous singer,
you may sing the song exactly the same way. At
an audition, however, the music director wants
to hear you, not a carbon copy of someone
famous. Find out what's on the page and then
make it yours by following these techniques:
Varying dynamics
Plotting tempo changes
Looking for operative words — words that
you emphasize in natural speech
1# Choosing some acting objectives from
Chapter 18
The composer has put some really great ideas
into the music — you just need to know how to
find them. See the later section, “Using Musical
Elements to Create Your Arrangement,” for
more ideas on how to make a song yours.
Look at the words of “Simple Things” in Figure 17-1. Speak through the text
without the consonants. When you get used to pronouncing the stream of
vowels without the consonants, sing that stream of vowel sounds with the
melody. When you feel confident that your vowels are top notch, put the con-
sonants back in. You may be surprised by how clear your vowels are now that
you ve given them your undivided attention.
Backing into phrases
Another good way to improve your technique is to work the phrases back-
ward. No, I’m not telling you to sing the song backward — just work from the
last phrase you find difficult and gradually add the preceding phrases as you
master the hard one.
Sing the last few measures of a song until your phrasing is solid. When you
can do that easily, make another grouping with the preceding few measures.
So imagine that your text is, “The loud cows aroused the sows. The sound of
the hounds resounded all around.”
1. First, practice the last phrase, “resounded all around.”
2. When that phrase sounds good, work through “The sound of the
hounds resounded all around.”
Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 229
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230 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
3. When that phrase is smooth as glass, add the preceding phrase,
“aroused the sows.”
4. Then work through the whole enchilada: “The loud cows aroused the
sows. The sound of the hounds resounded all around.”
The phrasing and breath flow likely are more polished now. You can apply
this same idea to “Simple Things” (refer to Figure 17-1). By working some of
the phrases from the last few words, you gradually practice your breath con-
trol so you can make it through the entire phrase. In “Simple Things,” you can
work the phrase “These are the simple things that I would celebrate in song”
by starting at “I would celebrate in song.” When you can successfully sing
that phrase, go back and add “simple things.” When that much of the phrase
is easy to manage, go back and sing the entire phrase, “These are the simple
things I would celebrate in song,” and see whether you can tell the difference
in your breath control.
Breathing heavy: Fogging up the windows
You probably already figured out that you have to pay attention to your
breathing when you sing. In fact, proper breath control can make the differ-
ence between singing successfully and failing. This section tells you how and
when to breathe properly in order to sing properly.
Knowing how to breathe when you sing is a great skill. Taking your breathing
to the next level in a song means breathing with the intent to say something
when you sing. For each phrase that you sing, you need to plan the amount
of breath that you need to complete that phrase or thought. That concept
sounds like a big one, but it’s what you do every day in your conversations.
As you’re deciding what to say next in a conversation, you take in air and
then express those thoughts.
Try taking a breath and saying, “I have some bad news.” Your breath was prob-
ably slow and deliberate because you knew something unpleasant was about
to follow. Take a breath and say, “I won the entire jackpot in the lottery.” Wow!
That breath is certainly different than your bad-news rendition. When you sing
songs, you want to know clearly what you’re trying to say so that you take the
appropriate breath for each line and express a specific thought.
Knowing where to breathe is also helpful. In a song, you can breathe in the
following locations:
Anytime you see a rest in the music
Anywhere you see punctuation, such as a comma or period
Anywhere that makes sense with the musical phrase and the lyrics
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song
Marking the places where you intend to breathe gives you an opportunity to
try that breath and see whether it works for you. The place to breathe may
seem logical, but then when you try the breath, you may not feel confident.
Just choose another place and try again. The more you practice singing
through songs and plotting out the breaths, the better you get at figuring it out.
Refer to Figure 17-1 to read through “Simple Things” again and notice the
punctuation. You can breathe in a lot of places because the song has quite a
few commas.
Paying attention to punctuation
The punctuation in a song tells you where the big thoughts are. As with written
and spoken text, periods indicate complete thoughts and commas point to lists
and auxiliary phrases. Punctuation indicates an opportunity to take a breath,
so asong’s punctuation can help you with phrasing and interpretation.
A series of questions in a song provides you with a different task than a
series of commas. In your everyday speech, the inflection of your tone of
voice usually goes up when you ask a question and goes down when you
make a statement. In singing a song that has a list with a series of commas,
you want to reflect that continuing thought. You can practice this by taking
a breath in the middle of a sentence when you're speaking. Notice how the
inflection of your voice stays up. That same idea happens when you sing; the
inflection of your voice tells the listener that you’re continuing on the same
train of thought. In contrast, a period needs a sense of finality. Say the follow-
ing two sentences: “You did that.” and “You did that?” Notice the change in
the tone of your voice when you read the question. This difference of inflec-
tion helps the listener know that you’ve just made a statement or asked a
question while singing.
Breathing in a series of commas takes a little planning. You can breathe after
every comma, but you may not need to. You can take a slight pause, just like
you do in speaking when you pause in the middle of a sentence but don’t take
a breath. A series of questions is similar: Breathe where you need to, and use
a slight pause in places where you don’t need a breath.
You can breathe after a comma as long as you remember that your train of
thought doesn’t stop as you take the breath. The same train of thought contin-
ues, just as when you take a breath between phrases in a conversation.
The places where you don’t want to breathe are between syllables in a word,
in the middle of a grammatical phrase that needs to be kept as one thought,
and between a noun and modifier. Look at the text to determine where you
take a breath while speaking the words. If it doesn’t sound logical to breathe
at that point when you’re speaking the lyrics, try to find another place to take
the breath when you sing.
231
232 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
ar
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If you’re struggling with a phrase because you need a breath, cheat the last
note of a phrase instead of trying to hurry in on the first note of the next
phrase. If the last note is a half note, you can cut the note off a half beat early
to catch your breath. In “Simple Things” (Figure 17-1), you can take a little
time away from the word me to make sure that you have enough breath to
sing the next phrase.
Catching your breath
If you’re singing an up-tempo song with quick-moving words, you have to
know exactly how to get the breath in quickly to make the next line come out
clearly.
Remember that the release for the next breath has to happen quickly. Open
your body to allow the breath to drop in quickly and exhale slowly. Opening
the throat quickly prevents gasping. Gasping doesn’t allow you to get the air
in as fast, and it feels more like a struggle. For more help with breathing, see
Chapter 4.
Timing your breathing from the beginning
Look at and listen to your musical introduction, or prelude — the part before
the lyrics come in. Before you sing that first note, you need to be ready —
you need to time your breath. Sometimes timing your breath just right so you
can begin the first phrase with enough air is tricky.
The best way to get the breath is to practice breathing two beats before you
sing. Get your song’s tempo in your head. When you have that tempo set in
your mind, count one, two, breath, breath (breathe for two counts), and then
begin to sing. If you find that’s too much time for breath, practice taking the
breath in one count. You don’t want to take the breath, hold it for a few
counts, and then sing. Holding your breath may get you locked up in your
upper body. Remember that breath is always in motion. (See Chapter 4 for an
explanation of how your body moves for breathing and singing.) For “Simple
Things” in Figure 17-1, you want to start taking your first breath about two
beats before you sing the first word, “Sometimes.”
Changing the tone for each section
Each section of a song must have a distinct feel or tone. To convey different
tones in different sections, you need to make a change of thought to create a
change of tone. In “Simple Things” (refer to Figure 17-1), you have an oppor-
tunity to change your thought as you begin the second verse. Look through
your song and determine how many sections it has. You know it’s a new sec-
tion because one of these things happens: A piano interlude (a solo section
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 233
for the piano in between the vocal section) often leads to a new section, the
music changes and adds different rhythms or moves to a new key, or the text
changes and a new topic arises.
You can compare this study of your music to studying poetry. Each poem, or
grouping of words, has a certain rhythm to it, called meter. When you know
the meter, you can look farther to find the rhyme scheme. Knowing the rhyme
scheme gives you a clue to how many sections the piece has.
The form of a song tells you how many sections you can expect to find.
1# Strophic, which is similar to a hymn, means that the same music is
repeated for each section of text, or each stanza.
“ Two part AB means that two main sections may occur in order as AB or
ABA, with the first section repeating. An example of an AABA song is the
Flintstone’s theme; an AB example is “(Baby You Can) Drive My Car,” by
The Beatles. You may think of other songs that fit because they have a
verse and a chorus.
Through composed means that the entire piece is new, with no repeats
of any sections in any stanza. Examples of through composed songs
include “Yesterday,” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and “Stairway
to Heaven,” by Led Zeppelin.
If a section repeats, speculate about what made the composer or lyricist
repeat those words. What reason necessitates saying the same words again?
Exploring those reasons may help you discover how to create changes in
your tone by changing what you’re thinking. You need to sing a repeated
part differently the second time than you did the first time. (And if it repeats
a third or even fourth time, each repetition needs to be distinct from the
others.)
Finding the minimum number of sections to a song tells you the minimum
number of changes.
Using Musical Elements to
Create Vour Arrangement
When you start working on your new song, how do you create the arrangement
that works for you? How do you make the song yours? You can start by listen-
ing to other arrangements to see and hear the elements each artist used to
make the arrangement their own. If you look at the music for “Hound Dog” as
sung by Elvis Presley, the music on the page may look bland compared to the
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234 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
sounds that you hear on the recording. Elvis used a variety of sounds with
his voice to create a fun song. You can use variations in musical elements,
such as dynamics (volume) or tempo (speed), or you can change the colors
of your voice or vary the articulation. (If you want to know more about Elvis
and his music, check out Elvis For Dummies, by Susan Doll, PhD [Wiley].)
You want to think of the song as a journey of music and lyrics. If it’s a jour-
ney, you want changes and variations in that journey. If you repeat the same
lyrics over and over, it may be fun, but it’s not a journey for the listener
and that’s not the kind of song to choose for an audition or competition.
Musicians talk about the hook in the song. The hook is the recurring and
memorable part that gets the listener hooked. When you’re searching for just
the right song to arrange and make your own, remember that the hook can
be the repeating rhythm, melody, or lyrics. You want a hook, but also a story
to tell. Making only fun sounds may not be interesting enough to keep your
audience listening for the three minutes it takes to sing the song.
You may have seen television shows such as American Idol or The X Factor
that ask singers to bring in their own arrangement of a song or to sing a song
they don’t know. Because you sometimes have to sing a song a cappella, you
want to know how to make it interesting without relying on the instruments.
Using these suggestions on how to make the song your own, as well as what
to explore to create your own arrangement, may come in handy when you’re
put on the spot and have to master and perform a new song in a short period
of time. Build your technical skill so you can confidently apply it.
Comparing songs
“Get Down Tonight,” recorded by K.C. & The Sunshine Band, is a great song
for dancing, but the lyrics repeat a lot and it doesn’t have a strong story. It’s
also a song that may sound boring with just the piano and no other instru-
ments. “Simply Irresistible,” as recorded by Robert Palmer, and “Lollipop,”
as recorded by The Chordettes, are two more examples of songs that havea
great hook but may not have great stories or work without the instruments.
They’re fun songs, but not great choices to sing by yourself or without a
major arrangement with your backup band.
On the other hand, “Desperado,” as recorded by The Eagles, has a great story
and simplicity that lends itself to a solo with piano. “Lipstick on Your Collar,”
as recorded by Connie Francis; “Blue Moon,” written by Richard Rodgers
and Lorenz Hart; and “Respect,” as recorded by Aretha Franklin can also be
arranged so that you sound great singing with a piano. These examples are
just a few of the songs that have a great story, sound good with a piano, and
work well for a one-person performance. The songs listed in Appendix A also
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 235
make great story songs to sing as a solo and are appropriate levels for read-
ers of this book.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money paying a musician to arrange a song
for you; you can experiment with some familiar songs to get the hang of
making a song your own. Think of a familiar song that you know very well.
You can use the hymn “Amazing Grace” or familiar tunes such as “Happy
Birthday,” “Old MacDonald,” or even the song in this chapter, “Simple Things.”
Articulation
Sing through the song as you normally do, noticing the articulation and flow
of the melody. Now sing the song again and change the articulation. Make
the consonants super crisp and really precise. When you articulate like this,
you’re most likely inspired to make precise sounds with your singing voice,
similar to classical music. When you sing the song again, change the articu-
lation so that the consonants and vowels are correct but not so crisp and
precise. This laidback articulation is similar to what happens in a pop song
or other contemporary songs that you hear on the radio. You can choose the
best articulation for the type or song you’re singing based on how you want
to express the story of that song.
Dynamics
When you sing the song this time, sing it loudly. The meaning of the song
may change when you sing it loudly. Now sing the song again, but softly. The
third time you sing the song, vary the dynamics, singing some sections loudly
and others softly. You want to gradually change the volume so your song
builds toward the climax.
Tempo
The next element to explore is the tempo. Sing through the song slowly, and
then sing through it at a fast tempo. When you’ve explored fast and slow, sing
through the song and gradually change the tempo of the song. You can start
slowly and gradually speed up, or vice versa — start fast and gradually slow
it down. You want to explore which segments in the song make sense to sing
faster and which sections make sense to sing slower. The changes in tempo
don’t have to be drastic — just change them enough to keep the song evolving.
236 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
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Explaining prelude, interlude, and postlude
The prelude, or introduction, is the beginning of
the song. The accompanist plays it on the piano
before you start to sing. A prelude is important
because the first word and note grows out of
the musical introduction.
The interlude is a segment of music in between
usually occurs between segments of the song,
and the pianist plays alone.
The postlude is the song's ending that con-
cludes the musical and dramatic thoughts. The
song isn't over until the pianist releases the last
note of the postlude.
sections of a composition. In songs, the interlude
Using vocal variety
You can change the colors of your voice by using the information in Chapters 11
and 12 about the registers of the voice and resonance. You can sing the first
phrase of your song in a head voice—-dominated mix, the second phrase ina
chest voice—dominated mix, and the next phrase using belt. That progression
may happen more slowly in your song, but using variations in registration
and resonance offers you a variety of sounds in your song. If you make the
same exact sound throughout the song, it sounds repetitive after the first few
phrases. Gradually changing the vocal sounds shows off your versatility and
provides a changing and flowing journey of sound throughout the song.
You may choose to sing softly and use your head voice or falsetto. If you
speed up the tempo, you may want to belt the song. To know which sounds
work really well, record yourself singing and listen back. You may have to
experiment for a while and record yourself several times before you really
find the sounds that fit your new version of the song. Singers often tell me
that it feels weird to change registers when they sing a song. Somehow they
think that they’re supposed to sing in the same register throughout the song.
The singers you hear on the radio shift registers, and so can you. Unless a
spunky dance beat requires you to belt it out for the entire song, you'll want
variety in your sounds. Practice moving between registers in the exercises in
Chapter 12 so you’re ready to incorporate those transitions into your song.
Style
When performers arrange a song, they often sing through the song and
change the style. They sing familiar songs but change them to sound differ-
ent from what you normally hear. For example, you can sing “Amazing Grace”
precisely and clearly, or you can sing it and pretend that you’re an R&B star
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Chapter 17: Mastering a New Song 23 7
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and add lots of riffs. You can also add a lot of twang and forward resonance
and make it sound like a country song. Pretending that the song is from a spe-
cific style encourages you to use sounds that you typically hear in that type
of song. Understanding what makes a song sound pop or country allows you
then to use those elements in the song you choose to perform.
Accompanist
When you decide how you want to sing your song, mark your music with the
directions so the accompanist knows how to follow you. You can highlight
the tempo and dynamic markings to make sure that your accompanist sees
them; if none are written in, write them within the piano part. You often see
tempo markings above the vocal line. To make sure that your accompanist
sees them, go ahead and write them in the space between the two sets of five
lines down in the piano part. If you want to change the style of singing, you
need to change what the accompanist plays. Some accompanists are great
at this, and you can just ask them to play a piece in the style of a country
song even if that’s not what’s written on the page. The accompanist simply
changes the way the chords are played and perhaps changes the rhythm
on the page to match your vocal changes. Accompanists who don’t play a
lot of contemporary material may be really good at changing the tempo and
dynamics, but not so good at making up an accompaniment that sounds like
a pop song.
Don’t assume that an accompanist can change the accompaniment on the fly.
If you want to change a familiar song at an audition to sound very different
than how it’s normally played and sung, ask in advance.
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238 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
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Chapter 18
Acting the Song
In This Chapter
Telling a song’s tale
Identifying the character behind the song
Selling your song with appropriate nonverbals
f you think about the performances you’ve seen on television or live in a
theater, you likely remember the choreography, the great scenery, or a
singer jamming to a tune before a panel of judges and a huge crowd — all the
pizzazz. What if you have to stand onstage and sing a song by yourself with
only the piano for company? You’ve come to the right chapter for some ideas
on making your solo routine a stellar performance.
Your biggest job as a singer is to say something when you sing. Standing up
and singing memorized words is just the beginning. Apply your acting skills
to a song for a powerful performance. Give your audience a reason to look at
you and listen to your performance.
Seeing the Song As a Story
Every well-written song takes the listener on a journey that uses text and
music to tell a story. In this section, you find out how to work with the text of
your song to understand it as a story, how to work with your voice to portray
that text with emotion, and how to get the music and text to work together.
Chatting it up before you sing
Well-written songs offer you an opportunity to create a partnership with the
words and music. Working the text as a speech or monologue, you may find
that the song doesn’t mean what you originally thought it did. Just as when
reading a poem for the first time, you may not initially absorb all the meanings.
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The second time around, several new things may jump out at you. The more
you read the text, the more you can enhance the relationship between your
singing and the words coming out of your mouth.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just singing the song well is good
enough. It isn’t. Singing well is a wonderful start, but you want to take it a step
farther. Saying words out loud forces you to decide what the words mean. For
example, you can emphasize the words “I had a cat” in three different ways:
If you emphasize [, you’re saying that you — and probably you alone —
had a cat.
If you emphasize had you may mean that the cat is no longer with you.
Emphasizing the word cat may mean that you had a cat instead of a dog.
Playing with the various words makes you think about what you’re trying
to say and how best to say it. As you speak through the text of your song,
make specific choices about what you think the text means, as you did when
you said, “I had a cat.” Your specific choices give listeners an opportunity
to really focus on your story so they hear the words, not just the glorious
sounds of your voice.
Emphasizing repeated words is just as important. When your song repeats
certain lyrics, you want to say them differently, as if each time they have a
new meaning. Think of a line from your song and repeat it several times. Most
likely, you emphasized it differently each time to try to get your point across.
When you repeat the lyrics, you have another chance to get your audience to
understand you.
When you begin to work your text as a monologue or add expression to your
singing, you may find that your eyebrows tend to go up. If so, put a piece of
clear tape on your forehead to convince them to go back down. Place the tape
vertically on your forehead so you can feel it each time your eyebrows flex.
With practice, you can find a way to express your thoughts without tightening
anything on your face.
Musical responses
In songs, the music has something to say about the character and the text.
The music is a vehicle for the voice to tell the story. As you listen to your
song (the piano part recorded by your pianist or a recording of you sing-
ing the song), think about what the music has to say about the story. Often
the setting of the text with the music enhances the delivery of the text. In
the song “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” from My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle’s text
moves at the same pace as a person speaking the text. By setting the text at
a normal speaking pace, the music helps you sound as if you’re talking and
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Chapter 18: Acting the Song 24 ]
telling a story with music. In the song “Ya Got Trouble,” from The Music Man,
you know just by hearing the sound of the accompaniment that Harold Hill
isn’t going to sing about what a beautiful morning it is. The short, detached
sounds from the accompaniment tell you that trouble is brewing. Some songs
include times when the singer gets to rest. During these times, the music is
talking and you want to respond to the music and your upcoming text. Read
on for suggestions on what to do during an interlude.
Accounting for interludes
If the song has an interlude, a passage in the music when you're not singing,
you need to figure out how to handle that period of time. Interludes can be
perplexing. What in the world do you do to kill that time? You think specific
thoughts that support and continue the plot during musical interludes of a
song. Subtext can take you from the musical introduction (prelude) right to
the song’s first line. An example of subtext in a song could be what the girl is
thinking during the prelude (introduction music) of Love Story, recorded by
Taylor Swift. In the prelude, she’s thinking about the boy and what she'll say
to him. Maybe she’s finally gotten up enough nerve to tell him that she likes
him and she’s thinking about the best way to tell him. Or he may be packing
his things because he’s really mad at her and she’s thinking (subtext) during
the prelude about what she can say to get him to forgive her and stay.
The interlude may be really simple, but you still want to hear the music and
let it be part of your story. Think of the piano as your scene partner. Even if
you're onstage alone singing a song, the piano is offering you some feedback
within the structure of the music. You don’t even have to read music to figure
it out. You just need to listen to the music and decide how it’s helping to tell
the story.
Exploring Character
You want to make your performance well rounded and interesting to the
audience, so you need to do some detective work on your song. Take a close
look into the character singing the song. Every song has a character and
a story to tell. Sometimes the character is just like you and sometimes it’s
someone very different.
Getting into character means temporarily inhabiting the life and circum-
stances of a character for a story. In this case, the story is presented in the
lyrics of the song. If the lyrics are from an opera or musical, your song and
your character have an entire life for you to explore. Songs from the radio
usually aren’t from a show, so you get to decide the circumstances.
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If you just can’t find the answers to some of the questions about the character
singing the song, make a good guess based on the other details you’ve read in
the script, or create a story or scenario that supports the words of the song.
Making up the missing details of your character’s life helps you create a com-
plete picture of exactly who this person is. As long as your scenario leads you
to say and sing the words on the page, it can work. If your scenario is so far
fetched that it distracts you and you’re too busy to sing, make it a little less
complicated for now. Simple is good.
Characterizing your character
Answering fundamental questions about the character singing your song
leads you to some specific details about how to portray that character when
you're alone onstage.
You want to uncover the facts given in the lyrics. Some basic questions to
answer include these:
1” What is the character’s name? The character in a radio song is you.
How old is the character? Your character’s age and physical condition
play into how you interpret the song. Young characters move differently
than older characters.
What is the character’s occupation or station in life? Knowing that
your character is the local sheriff means that he dresses, carries him-
self, and behaves differently than the town drunk who lives in the alley
behind the gas station. The drunk may slur his words, but the sheriff
may be well spoken.
What does the character look like? Knowing the character’s occupation
gives you your first clues to how the character looks and carries himself.
The town drunk probably is disheveled, with wrinkled clothes and a red
face from too much alcohol. The rest of the details you can glean from
the text. If you’re in a theater production, often the other characters in
the show say things about your character, and you can use this informa-
tion to help you further decide what your character may look like.
Who are you singing to? If your song is from a musical or opera, you
usually know who you're singing the song to. With songs on the radio,
you generally get to decide who you’re singing to — even if that person
isn’t in the room. You simply imagine that the person is in the room and
pretend that you see their reaction. All those conversations that you
have with people who aren’t in the room — such as when you argue
with your boss while you’re brushing your teeth — use the same kind
of visualization you do while you sing your song. You pretend that your
boss reacts and you reply. Same goes for your song: Choose someone to
sing to and decide how that person reacts to what you say.
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Chapter 18: Acting the Song 243
What do you want from the person you’re singing to? Do you want him
to leave you alone and move out of the apartment? Or do you want him
to forgive you for something you said or did?
How does your character change during the course of the song, and
what stage is the character in during this song? Eliza Doolittle changes
drastically during the course of My Fair Lady. By knowing the story, you
know what stage of character development she’s in when you sing her
song. If your song isn’t from a show, do your detective work to deter-
mine the facts from the lyrics, and then choose what you think should
happen during the course of your song. Keep your scenario simple.
Where does this song take place? Knowing where the story takes place
can also change how you sing a song. If the setting of your song is the
middle of a hot summer afternoon, that’s very different than singing
a song as you watch a blizzard outside your window. Marc Cohn sang
“Walking in Memphis,” which gives a clear picture of where the song
is taking place. Even if it’s not spelled out in black and white, make a
choice about where the song is set and picture that place in your mind.
Knowing your character’s background gets you to dig for the basic informa-
tion available about your character. Allow yourself some time to digest the
lyrics as you’re working on the song. See the big picture first. Summarize the
details and then move on to the smaller details. You want to know about both
the inner and outer lives of the character.
If you know this basic information about your character, you know whether
this person is similar to you or the exact opposite. Personally, I love playing
characters who are opposite from my own personality. What better way to
live a secret life?
Discovering your character's motivation
Singing is a way of expressing huge, heightened emotions. A song conveys
feelings so big that the character can’t just say it; he has to sing about it. Just
in case you don’t rush into song every few minutes in your everyday life,
keep reading to discover how you can get to that huge, heightened sense of
awareness that makes you just want to burst out singing.
Before singing a song, you want to know a few things. You want to know
what happened just before this song to motivate your character to sing and
say the words. Why does your character sing, and how does your character
intend to overcome any obstacles? In this section, you uncover the answers
in some familiar songs so you can fill in the blanks about your own song.
Some songs aren’t from a musical or opera. For these songs, you need to
do enough work with the text that your imagination leads you to the right
answers.
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24 4 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Some event usually motivates the character to sing a song. Maybe the char-
acter has a problem to overcome, is in a predicament he wants to change,
or wants to help someone. The character needs some sort of predicament,
good or bad, to sing. The obstacles the character encounters also are pretty
important. The predicament or obstacle can be unrequited love, happi-
ness so intense you have to tell the world, or a bad relationship that you
don’t know how to end. Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! sings “The Farmer and the
Cowman Should be Friends” because she wants the men to stop fighting and
get along. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, the Lion is motivated to sing “If
I Were The King of the Forest” because he wants courage and he’s tired of
being afraid. Another song with a specific motivation is “Return to Sender,”
which you may have heard Elvis Presley sing. He’s motivated to sing the song
because his letters keep coming back, even though he’s said he’s sorry, and
it’s breaking his heart.
Planning actions to get something done
You want to plan an action that helps your character get what he wants.
An action sounds like something that you have to leap around the stage
to accomplish, but it’s not. You can stand still and have a plan of action.
After you decide why you're singing the song, you create a plan to get what
you want and overcome the obstacle. An example of an aria (a song from
an opera) that illustrates a specific action comes from the opera Carmen.
Carmen is arrested, and Don José is supposed to take her to prison. She sings
the aria “Seguidilla” to entice Don José into letting her go. Her plan of action
is to get him to release her, and she gets her way because she seduces him
with her body and voice.
Getting Physical
Most singers feel stiff if they just stand still and sing a song. Knowing how to
move, where to move, and what to move when you sing keeps you looking
good as you sing. When singing a song, your choices are to stand still or move
around the stage. You find some advice on how much to move in the “Movin’
and groovin’ with your song” section, later in this chapter, and you get help
with gesturing as you're singing in the “Gesturing appropriately” section,
coming up later in this chapter. Because focusing your eyes is important for
your song, you find out just ahead who to look at while you’re performing —
and why you shouldn’t close your eyes while you sing.
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Chapter 18: Acting the Song 245
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Figuring out where to focus
When singing a song, you can sometimes look in one spot and sometimes
look around. Knowing the story of your song helps you understand the type
of song yov’re singing, and this understanding tells you where to focus your
eyes. If you’re talking to just one person, you may focus on the back wall or a
place out in front of you. An example of a song in which you may talk to just
one person is “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin.
If that person isn’t in the room, but you’re daydreaming of him, you may gaze
out into the distance longingly. An example of this is Elton John singing for
Princess Diana’s funeral. She wasn’t present, but you knew that he was sing-
ing to her. Your eyes may move around when you’re talking to a group of
people, but they don’t move like you’re watching a tennis match. In the opera
Cosi fan tutte, Guglielmo talks to all the women in the audience when he sings,
“Donne mie, la fate a tanti,” which translates, “I would like a word with all you
lovely women.”
Notice other people as they’re telling a story: Their eyes automatically look
around in different ways. When you’re trying to remember something, you
may look up at the ceiling. This is a common reflex when you’re trying to
dig something out of your memory bank. When you’re watching one person,
you may hold your gaze on that person and not look away. If you start to
think about what you’re saying, you may look away from your audience as
you think. These are all natural and normal movements of your eyes. When
singing a song, you can also have this same natural movement of your eyes
moving away from the person you’re addressing and then back.
Closing your eyes isn’t an option when you want to act and sing. In everyday
conversations with other people, you keep your eyes open. You don’t have
a conversation with someone and close your eyes unless you’re lying on the
couch talking to someone across the room. Singing a song involves having a
conversation with someone and telling a story. You want your eyes open to
talk to your audience. Closing your eyes cuts off your biggest means of com-
municating with your audience. They’re left out because, by closing your eyes,
you’re communicating only with yourself. Give your audience a reason to look
at you and watch you when you sing.
If you get distracted looking someone in the eye as you’re singing, try looking
at their hairline instead. Try it sometime on some friends and ask them if they
can tell whether you’re looking them in the eye. More often than not, they
probably have no idea. Ask your friend to do the same to you so you can see
what you look like. Try this until you’re comfortable singing your song and
maintaining your focus on your task.
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Gesturing appropriately
The big question beginning singers ask is what to do with their hands. Well,
what do you do with your hands as you speak? If your hands normally move
when you speak, you may feel stiff if they remain frozen at your side during
your song. Work the song as a monologue to discover what’s happening
and how the character may react to the actions in the story. Basically, you
gesture when you react. For example, think about how you’d move in reac-
tion to “Whoa! Don’t bring that spider any closer to me!” Or how would your
hands gesture if you were saying, “I wanted to buy that doll, but the woman
snatched it out of my hand” or “Here I am!” or “When are you going to clean
up this incredibly messy room?” If you recognize the same kind of opportu-
nities in a song, you feel more like yourself gesturing with your hands than
trying to plan something interesting to do during your song.
You may have noticed that when you gestured and said the phrases, your
arms moved to gesture and then dropped. That motion is too abrupt when
singing. You want to gesture and then release the gesture and move your
arms and hands back down. On the other hand, sometimes people go too far
in gesturing by holding the gesture for a long time. You may look frozen as if
you aren’t sure how to put your hands down.
The following exercise gets your hands in the right place for gesturing:
1. Put your hands by your side.
2. With your thumbs leading the way, move your hands up toward each
other and then out in a big arc, with your elbows away from your
body and your palms up and open.
3. Draw the Chanel logo — two back-to-back Cs, )( — in the air.
Start with your hands at your side and trace your hands from the
bottom right hand of each C until your hands are out to the side of your
body, with your hands about as high as your shoulders. To make the
gesture look natural, you want distance between your elbows and the
sides of your body.
Gestures can vary widely, but this is the most basic shape of a gesture. As
you practice this movement, you'll be able to do it faster and vary it slightly
by using just one arm or by moving your arms higher for those times you
need a big emphasis for your text.
Avoid these gesturing pitfalls:
/ Pantomiming: Pantomimic gestures only mime the text. For example,
if you plan specific movements without thinking about why they help
your story, such as lifting your hand to the sky when you say the words
“Moon and stars,” or placing your hand on your chest when you say
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Chapter 18: Acting the Song
“heart,” you’re not doing your job as an actor. What roles do those two
elements play in your story? Your audience knows exactly where to find
the moon and stars — give them something more. Pantomime may work
if you’re creating a comic character, and pantomime is one way to play
the character. However, serious songs work best when the gestures
come from what you’re saying and thinking about the song, not from
pantomime.
Choreographed moves: If your song is fun and spunky, allow your joy of
singing the song to reflect through your story, not through choreography.
You don’t need to plan any movements before you do your work on the
text of your song. You want the gesture to feel organic, as if you’re expe-
riencing it for the first time every time you sing the song. If you’ve chosen
a dance number for your song, you can assume that some movement is in
order. Singing while dancing requires a great deal of stamina. Plan where
to breathe in the song so you can practice your breath control.
Translating a song in a foreign language
Singing in another language is common in
classical music. But singing a song in another
language doesn’t let you off the hook with your
responsibilities as an actor. You want to know
exactly what's happening in each phrase so
you can deliver each word with conviction.
Create a word-for-word translation. The
first step is to look up each word so you
know exactly what you're saying. It’s tough
to find the operative word in the line if you
aren't sure what half of the words mean.
When you find the definition for each word,
create a paraphrased version of the text in
English. If the word-for-word translation
turns out to be, “To you with love | only,”
you can paraphrase to “I love only you,”
which makes perfect sense.
Compare the word-for-word translation
with a paraphrased version of the text.
You may find the paraphrased version
on the copy of your song underneath the
foreign-language text. Remember that you
can’t really commit to the paraphrase until
you know which word means what in the
original language. Sometimes the poetic
translation underneath the original text has
little to do with the original meaning of the
poem. Always do your own translation as
well, just to check.
1#” Practice speaking the word-for-word trans-
lation in English, the paraphrase in English,
and the text in the foreign language. After
you do all your homework, you want to work
the text as a monologue, both in English and
in the foreign language. The operative words
in the English language may not be in the
same order as in the foreign language. Strive
to be a great actor and singer, regardless of
the language or style of music.
Some of the newer books being published for
classical songs or songs from operas, called
arias, include word-for-word translations and
paraphrases of the text. If you want to sink your
teeth into the language, get a good dictionary
with a pronunciation guide as well as the defini-
tions of the words. If you buy the dictionary with
the pronunciation guide, you save yourself so
much time looking up the diction rules. You can
also consult numerous Web sites for translat-
ing text.
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24 8g Part IV: Preparing to Perform
Movin’ and groovin’ with your song
When you sing for an audience, you want the listener to both see and hear
you connect your story and singing. Whatever movements you make around
a stage or around the room need to enhance your singing and the story.
Being able to move and sing is important, yet starting small is best. Consider
these tips on coordinating movement with music:
At home, practice singing while doing simple tasks, just to practice
doing two things at once.
1# When you’re comfortable moving and singing, speak through your song
lyrics and notice what gestures you make. Knowing how you gesture
when you speak helps you figure out how to move when you're singing.
1#” Some songs don’t require much movement. Err on the busy side at first
when you're practicing, and then pare the movements until you’re sure
that you’re moving in response to what you're saying. Just moving for its
own sake when you're singing doesn’t enhance your song. For example,
classical songs don’t require much movement or many gestures.
If singing is new to you, adding some sort of movement may be too much for
you right now. Take it one step at a time when you’re figuring out how to per-
form your new technique with a new song.
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Chapter 19
Confronting Your
Fear of Performing
In This Chapter
Identifying the root of the anxiety
Tackling the anxiety by preparing
Evaluating your progress at each performance
P. erformance anxiety is a big problem among performers of all kinds and
at all levels of experience. Finding ways of dealing with anxiety and turn-
ing nerves and adrenaline into positive forces in your performance are just
as important as great technique. For the times when those butterflies in your
stomach get out of hand, this chapter offers some dependable methods of
working through your anxiety.
Facing the Symptoms
Knowing what you’re afraid of is half the battle. After you pinpoint the source
of your fear, you can take charge of it.
These fears are the most common fears:
Cracking during the performance and not being able to hit the high note
Looking stupid in front of friends
Forgetting the words to the song
Fearing success or failure, rejection, or the unknown
Naming the fear enables you to go after the problem and beat it. Throughout
this chapter, you can read about the common concerns and determine what’s
scaring you. After you find the source, move forward and find a solution to
eliminate the whole problem, not just the symptom.
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Running in place simulates adrenaline
A rush of adrenaline brings about a racing not sing. Breathlessness is similar to what
heart. You can duplicate that feeling by running happens when anxiety strikes during a perfor-
in place until you're out of breath... and then mance. Everytime you take the breath, you can
singing your song. Being out of breath while you feel it falling into your body. As it falls into your
practice helps you get used to singing phrases body, realize that you can sing even when your
when you desperately want to just exhale and heart is pounding. It’s just not easy.
You may find comforting the knowledge that thousands of other singers face
the same icky anxiety you feel right before a performance. The symptoms
include butterflies in the stomach, shaky knees, dry mouth (sometimes called
cottonmouth), a sudden urge to cry or run away, trembling hands, a racing
heart rate, nausea, cold hands but sweaty underarms, and the urge to pee
no matter how many times you visit the bathroom. Did you find any of your
symptoms on that list? I certainly see mine.
News flash: Adrenaline isn’t the enemy! In all honesty, you want a little
adrenaline to boost your performance.
Assuming that you must be calm before a performance sets you up for pangs
of anxiety when you don’t turn out to be as cool as a cucumber. Expecting
to be nervous and jittery, on the other hand, can enable you to sing through
your anxiety. In fact, you can use the fight-or-flight excitement of adrenaline
coursing through your body to enhance your performance. In reframing your
thoughts about the performance, you change from fight-or-flight adrenaline
to arush of excitement that can help you seize an opportunity.
Alleviating Anxiety through Preparation
With your symptoms out in the open, you can talk about how to relieve your
anxiety. Make a choice to change your thoughts about your performance. If
you continually dread the symptoms that you know are going to arise, you
won’t get past the first paragraph without thinking that this tactic won’t
work. So remind yourself that you’re anxious because you fear something, the
symptoms don’t just randomly appear.
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Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing 25 ]
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Practicing well
The biggest key to alleviating anxiety is preparation. Preparing isn’t the same
as overpracticing or aiming for perfection. Overpracticing is practicing so
much that you lose sight of the joy of singing and focus only on singing per-
fectly. Aiming for perfection takes the fun out of singing because everything
becomes a contest, if only with yourself.
The following pointers can help get you prepared for performing.
1# Stay positive and motivated as you practice. Figure out a way to motivate
yourself. What kind of reward do you need to get yourself to practice regu-
larly? People who don’t like being alone often don’t like to practice. You
must recognize that and then be disciplined to do your work. Your positive
thinking during your practice sessions carries over into your performance.
Set goals for each practice session. The first practice session goal may
be to successfully sing through the song without words to find consis-
tent breath flow (see Chapter 4). The second practice session goal may
be to keep that same easy flow of breath as you sing the words. Trying
to tackle too many goals at once causes frustration.
Practice at the level you intend to perform. You have to practice all the
details of your song separately, and then gradually put them all together
until you consistently create the sounds that you want to create in your
performance.
Set a deadline for memorizing the song. Your long-term memory needs
to have locked in the melody and words of the song. If you attempt
to memorize the song the night before the performance, you may be
overwhelmed trying to deal with the excitement of performing and the
details of remembering the words at the same time.
I recommend having the song memorized at least one week before a perfor-
mance. You then have seven days to work on the song without looking at the
music. If you’re singing a group of songs, you may want to have them memo-
rized earlier so you have time to work with the accompanist and work on
your acting objectives (see Chapter 18) as you use your singing technique.
Speak quickly through your text to help you remember the words.
Forgetting the words of a song that you’ve memorized usually happens
because your concentration momentarily slips. For example, you may start
thinking about being happy that the high note sounded good and, suddenly,
as you're getting back to business, you have no idea where you are in the
song. Practicing your concentration and speaking quickly through the text
on a regular basis helps you commit the text to your long-term memory, not
just your short-term thoughts. After you memorize the text of your song,
speak the words aloud quickly without pausing for punctuation.
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Playing to your strengths
Doing things that you know you're good at builds confidence and relieves
anxiety. Setting yourself up for success by playing to your strengths makes
even more sense when you’re nervous about performing.
Use the following tips to put yourself in a winning frame of mind:
Choose pieces that enhance your strengths. Singing one song in a per-
formance means that you have an opportunity to find a piece that really
shows your areas of expertise. When you need to choose ten minutes of
music, the task naturally gets harder, but finding the appropriate mate-
rial is part of the preparation. Chapter 16 deals with choosing music.
Focus on your strengths. Singing songs that require agility is a great
goal when you feel confident with that material. If not, make the perfor-
mance showcase your fabulous tone, breath control, or any other aspect
that you feel confident sharing.
Managing your thoughts
Performers who don’t experience performance anxiety may tell you to just
get over it and stop being afraid. I like to call those people adrenaline junkies.
They love that rush of adrenaline just before the performance. But trying to
stop being afraid may only frustrate you. You have to deal with your anxiety,
which is different from adrenaline. Anxiety adds a sickening sensation on top
of the adrenaline. You don’t want to stop the adrenaline — you want to elimi-
nate the underlying fear that leads to anxiety about performing.
Anxiety brings negative thoughts into your head. Negative thoughts may try to
convince you that you’re going to forget the words even though you know the
song well. Just hearing so much busy talking inside your head can ruin your
concentration and make you forget the words.
Sometimes you can use negative practice to find the extremes of your
symptoms. Try making the symptoms worse the next time you practice —
for instance, visualize or imagine a critical audience. You may experience
some symptoms of anxiety. Notice what those symptoms are and how you
feel about the audience. As you feel that sense of dread, sing through your
music. Visualize yourself being able to complete your task, regardless of how
grumpy your imaginary audience looks.
Making a list of the negative thoughts that frequently pop into your mind is
a way to manage your thoughts. Facing those thoughts helps you recognize
that they aren’t helpful and can prompt a switch to positive thoughts instead.
Making a list of affirmations to counter your negative thoughts also can help
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Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing 253
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you retrain your mind to focus on the positive. Affirmations include saying
things such as, “My singing is improving each day” and “I’m confident that
my breath control gets better with each practice session.”
You can create a performance cue that summarizes your goal and helps you
focus on the positive. For example, your performance cue can be “Release and
breathe” (release tension when you open the muscles in the body to inhale)
or “Drop and open” (release all the way down into your feet as you inhale and
open the back space for the next phrase). Keep the cue positive — something
to do instead of what not to do. Instead of saying “Don’t mess up,” you can use
“Stay focused” as a positive cue that helps you remember to stay in the moment.
Getting up the nerve
Your thoughts may turn to the audience whenever you become concerned
about what they think of you and your singing. You can’t get rid of the audi-
ence; after all, an audience is a necessity for your performance. You can,
however, pretend that the members of the audience aren’t really in the audi-
ence. You don’t have to sing directly to the audience or look them in the
eyes. You can look over their heads so you don’t have to worry about reading
the expression on their faces when you look them right in the eyes.
Doing your job as you sing means that you must tell a story. Insecurity can
lead you to believe that everyone is looking at you harshly. Reframing your
thoughts so that you accept the audience and let go of the hostile image you
may have of the audience can go a long way toward overcoming your doubts.
You’ve probably heard this suggestion for overcoming stage fright: Imagine
that all the people in the audience are sitting in their underwear. You can
also remind yourself that the audience chose to attend your performance,
and they want to hear you sing well.
Building performance focus
Have you ever been so focused on a task that you lost track of time or were
startled when someone came up behind you? You want this same kind of
focus as you perform. Focus totally on your task at hand, leaving the rest of
the stuff for later.
To help you practice concentrating, try these suggestions:
Stage some distractions. Practice in front of an audience of friends and
ask them to randomly whisper, rustle paper, drop a book, or stand up
and walk around while you're singing. The first few times, you may lose
your composure, but just laugh it off and keep trying until you can hold
your concentration and ignore the distractions.
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Practice concentration. Set a timer for five minutes and practice focus-
ing totally on your singing for those five minutes. Five minutes may seem
like a short amount of time — until you have to fill it with only one task.
You may find your mind wandering and thinking about something else.
That’s okay. Set the timer and try again.
Working up to concentrating for the full five minutes may take a few
days. You can also practice focusing and then intentionally letting your
mind wander so you can tell the difference.
Leave distractions at the door. That fight you had earlier in the day,
the report that’s due tomorrow, your upcoming vacation — any number
of everyday concerns may occupy your mind. Create a ceremony that
enables you to leave those distractions at the door.
For example, you may want to put a basket outside your practice room
door and mentally dump all your worries and frustrations into it before
you enter the room. You can also write a to-do list before your session
so you know exactly what you need to think about right after you prac-
tice. Acknowledge that you still have to resolve those issues in your
mind, and then move to the current task at hand.
Cracking isn't the end of the world
Cracking happens when the singing muscles
stop working properly just long enough for the
sound to stop. Maintaining a steady flow of
air, especially on high notes, helps prevent the
crack. Sometimes singers crack when they're
suffering from severe allergy problems or other
ailments that make their voices feel different.
Young singers may crack as they figure out how
to sing higher notes. Young men may experi-
ence some cracking during puberty and after-
ward as they discover how to sing higher notes
without too much pressure in the throat.
Giving yourself permission to experience the
crack enables your body to release some of
the tension associated with the fear. Ninety-
nine percent of the time, whenever | give my
students permission to crack, or ask them to
please let the note crack just to know what it
feels like, they don't crack. Give yourself per-
mission to not be perfect. It’s impossible to be
perfect. If you average the one note that isn’t
so perfect with the other hundred notes in the
song, you have pretty slim odds for cracking.
And if you do crack on a high note, it isn't the
end of the world. I've seen singers crack, and
members of the audience didn’t boo, because
they understood that it was just part of the
growing experience for that singer. The first
time | saw a professional crack in a concert, |
was secretly thrilled — not because the singer
cracked, but because he kept going, with the
understanding that his voice wasn’t working
properly at that one moment in time. The rest of
the notes in the concert were glorious, but the
cracked one gave me hope.
The fear of cracking may disappear after you
sing the same phrase several times without
any problem. Make a list of all the things you
have to do when you sing (your practice to-do
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list from Chapter 10) and keep practicing them
until you can do them all at the same time. You
may have to practice doing two skills at once
before you try to do four. Practicing these skills
helps prevent cracking: keeping a steady flow
of air moving as you sing (see Chapter 4), open-
ing your throat (see Chapter 6), and knowing
your capabilities by understanding what your
voice can do in each area, such as your head
voice (see Chapter 11). Enabling yourself to
do several things at one time takes courage
and determination. Most people are capable
Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing 255
of multitasking, and so are you. You can drive
your car, change the station on the radio, and
have a conversation with the person in the pas-
senger’s seat all at the same time. You can cer-
tainly apply this same process to singing.
You may find that acting helps you sing the high
note without cracking. You may get so caught
up with your story in the heat of the moment
that you go to sing the high note and the breath
just moves for you. How cool is that?
One of my colleagues gave me two pieces of great advice a few years ago:
“Never let anyone live in your head rent free” and “Have conversations only
with people who are in the room.” Table any conversations in your head with
people who aren’t in the room with you. What great advice!
Performing to Build Confidence
Even with all the tips I offer, you must perform to get over performance
anxiety. You must put yourself in the hot seat on a regular basis to find your
groove. Basketball players practice their shots so their bodies remember
those sensations in the heat of the moment. You, too, must put your skills to
the test in the heat of the moment. You know you're ready to take it public
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when:
You have a burning desire to move past the anxiety.
Your technical skills are polished enough that you can depend on them.
You find a song that complements your current abilities.
Find a small gig to get you started. By gig, I mean anywhere you can sing. Sing
for one friend, then for your family, and then for a small gathering, such as at
a nursing home. Sing in the church choir with the group, and then sing a solo
for a Sunday school class before singing it for the entire congregation. Or sing
with the community chorus: Sing with the chorus, then sing small solos, and
then shoot for the solo in front of the community.
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Devising a game plan
For every performance, make a plan of action for success. Assuming that
you’re going to succeed means that you will. Assuming that you’re going to
fail is the same as giving in to those voices in your head.
Reframe those stupid things people have said to you in the past about your
performing abilities. Being critical is human nature, but remember that it’s
only one person’s opinion. If I'd listened to things people said to me, I’d never
have written this book or dared to be a singer in New York.
Try these tips to get your game plan in place:
Make a specific timeline to get yourself ready to sing at the time of
your performance. See Chapter 10 for more on creating a practice rou-
tine. After you develop your practice routine, you’ll know how long it
takes for your voice to be ready to sing at your best. You can plan your
warm-up time for the day of your performance to get ready. Consider
these suggestions:
e Take time to vocalize or warm up the notes you’ll sing in the
performance.
e Vocalize long enough for your voice to be singing at your peak
when you walk on the stage.
e On the performance day, sing through your song enough times
that you feel confident, but not so many times that your voice
feels tired.
1#” Invite someone who helps boost your confidence. Do you know some-
one who can encourage you as you walk out for the performance? Discuss
your fears with this friend or confidant and then discuss your feelings
after the performance. You may find that your perception of that awful
note isn’t what your friend heard. Having a support system with you helps
you quiet negative thoughts that may creep into your head.
Look at each performance as an opportunity to succeed. You have to
expect success before you can achieve it. Success doesn’t just happen,
but you can make it happen.
Practice what you intend to do. If you plan to take a moment and take
a breath before you begin to sing your song, practice it that way. Taking
that moment to quiet your mind and settle your racing heart is worth it.
By practicing and visualizing your success, you can more easily make
it happen. You can also practice walking across the stage, singing your
song, and then bowing. You may have to practice this in your living
room, but you want to practice what you’re going to experience in the
performance. (See Chapter 24 for more tips on performing well.)
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Chapter 19: Confronting Your Fear of Performing 25 7
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Chart your improvement. Make a list of what you want to accomplish,
and, with each performance, shoot to accomplish one more task on
the list.
For example, the first task may be remembering all the words. By prac-
ticing with distractions at home, you boost your ability to concentrate.
When you remember all the words at your first performance, you may
want to try remembering the words and breathing consistently at the
second performance. Just getting the breath in your body and then
using it helps with many other technical problems. Give yourself a gold
star when you achieve each goal.
Before singing your song in public, try it in front of some friends. If you give
smaller performances a few times before your big one, the song may seem
familiar and not so scary.
Evaluating your performance
Progress happens because of each step you take. After every performance,
look at how you did and how you felt, using the lists in the following sec-
tions. Because everything in your life affects your singing, decide what steps
worked well for you and modify the ones that didn’t.
Looking at preparation and performance issues
Check the technical aspects of your performance to discover what you can
improve upon. Look at what did and didn’t work well, and make adjustments
for next time. Ask these questions after your performance:
Did you rehearse enough with the accompanist?
Did you work the song enough from memory?
What did you do well during the performance?
Did you get enough sleep the night before or in the days before the
performance?
Was your warm-up long enough, high enough, and early or late enough
in the day?
Were you focused on the moment (or on the audience’s reaction to your
singing)?
Did the steps in your pre-performance routine work well?
Did you leave enough time for dressing?
Did you take time to visualize the performance in your mind?
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Be fair when charting your progress. Seeing gradual improvement in your
quest to manage adrenaline and fear is important. Several months may pass
before you feel comfortable singing in public, so give yourself some time.
After each performance, list what you did well. When you accomplish more
than what’s on your list, recognizing that accomplishment is important.
Taking consistent steps toward your goal is the key.
Be brave. Take a risk. You won’t know until you dare to try.
Checking your anxieties
To ease your anxiety, answer the following questions to help you remember
how you felt.
How did you feel right before the performance? If this performance is
the first one you’re evaluating, the answer to this question may be, “I felt
unprepared, terrified, or nauseous.” Recognizing these symptoms may
help you realize that they aren’t debilitating and may ease up over time.
What were your symptoms of anxiety, if any? The symptoms may
include sweating, a racing heart, and the urge to run away. By tracking
the symptom, you can see that it lessens with each performance or that
you just make the choice not to run away, because you enjoy the perfor-
mance after you get to the stage.
What was your level of anxiety at the beginning of the performance? In
the middle of the performance? At the end of the performance? After the
performance? Many singers say their anxiety is worse just before the
performance but that it goes away as they begin singing. If the anxiety
hits in the middle of the performance, you were probably anticipating
the high note and worrying about how to sing it. Continuing to work on
your technique allows you to gain more confidence in your technique, to
alleviate the stress over that part of your voice. Stress after the perfor-
mance may mean that you’re worried about what people may say to you
after the performance.
Asking these questions helps you see your progress over the course of a few
weeks or months.
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Chapter 20
Auditioning a Song
In This Chapter
Getting the lowdown on auditions
Picking a winning song
Preparing for the big day and more
Finding out who and what to expect
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UW: to audition for the local theater or opera company? A Broadway
show? Reality TV? A rock band? Before planning your debut, you
need to know how to prepare for an audition. In this chapter, you explore
how to choose and prepare an appropriate song for the audition. You also
find out about what to expect at an audition so that you’re prepared to knock
their socks off!
Auditioning is a skill that you can develop. For auditions, you want to make
sure that your singing technique is in tip-top shape for the style of music you
want to sing. Check out Chapter 14 for training for different styles of singing.
This chapter outlines what you need to know when you're ready to audition
for a performance.
You may also want to get some advice from someone who understands the
audition process, such as a voice teacher, acting teacher, or coach. This
person can help you choose your song, hone some basic skills that will help
you present yourself at the audition, and decide whether your material is good
for your voice.
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Tailoring Vour Audition for Any
Venue and Any Style of Music
Different styles of music have specific guidelines for auditioning. No matter what
style you sing, here are the big things you want to keep in mind for any audition:
You want a great song to showcase your talent. Sometimes you're told
what to sing at an audition and sometimes you choose. Either way, you
want the song to showcase you and your talent. The people you're audi-
tioning for are meeting you through your song. What kind of song you
choose says a lot about you.
You need to prove that you’re an entertainer. If you’re shy, you need to
step out of your shell at an audition to be a soloist. If you’re auditioning,
youre saying that you want to be in front of an audience and entertain
people. The person hiring you needs to know that you can sell your
song. Think about the successful performers you’ve seen. They show
spunk and personality and really put themselves into their song.
The following sections include basic guidelines for auditions for different
styles of music.
At the opera
In the operatic world, knowing your specific voice type or voice category,
which is also called a fach (pronounced “fahk”), and sticking to it is impor-
tant. See Chapter 2 for more details about the different types of voices and
voice categories. Listing only arias (songs from an opera) within a specific
vocal category on your audition form or resume is a good idea.
WING!
s By listing arias from several different categories, you give the impression that
you haven’t yet determined your voice type — or, worse, that you don’t know
what you’re doing.
Skills that you have to demonstrate at the opera audition include the following:
Solid musicianship
An ability to present the music exactly as it is written on the page
Versatility in several languages
Acting ability
Opera companies are looking for singers who sing well, look the part, and can
also act. The opera world includes a lot of competition, and companies can
be choosy.
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 26 1
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Onstage at the theater
In musical theater, you need to switch your style of singing with ease.
Right after you sing your lovely head voice selection, such as “I Could Have
Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, you may be asked for your belt song (an
example of a belt song is “Tomorrow” from Annie) or pop-rock song (such
as “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent). Bouncing back and forth between the
styles is expected, and you have to practice all three until they’re comfy. You
may find some musical theater performers who aren’t belters, but you’re
better off knowing how to do all three.
At the musical theater audition, you’re expected to use great acting skills to
portray the story and take the listener on a journey in a variety of songs rang-
ing from standards to pop-rock songs. The journey may last only 16 bars, but
you have to take the audience for a ride, no matter how short the trip. You
also want to dance well, or at least move really well. Sometimes auditions are
held for nondancers, but most of the time you have to dance or move well to
get into the musical.
Research performers who have previously played the role you’re auditioning
for to see whether your look is similar. After you make it through the doors,
you may be typed. Typing at a musical theater audition doesn’t mean that your
fingertips fly across a keyboard. Typing refers to whether you're the right type
for the role. The casting panel (usually made up of the casting director, direc-
tor, musical director, and choreographer) look at you to determine whether
you're physically right for the role. If you physically fit what they’re looking
for, you get to stay at the audition and sing and dance.
In the club
If you’re a jazz, country, pop-rock, or R&B singer, you may want to audition
for gigs in clubs. If you have a chance to audition for a local bar or nightclub
(or a similar venue), your audition works much differently than an audition
for opera or theater. In those genres, the show usually is already written;
you’re auditioning for a specific part. When you audition to play in a club,
you make up the show!
You may write the music or perform groups of songs that have a particular
theme to keep an audience clapping and singing along. Skills that you have to
show off include great storytelling while singing and showmanship. You need
a spark in your performance so that people want to watch you. For this kind
of audition, you want to have a group of songs ready to show that you can
hold the audience’s attention for at least a half-hour set. You may sing only
one song at the audition, but you want to have more options ready.
During an audition for a band, the singer sings some songs along with the
band members so they can get a sense of how the singer’s voice sounds and
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how well that singer blends with the group. You need a good ear to hold
your melody and blend with the instruments, and you need to be confident
when you sing so the band follows you. Vocally, you need to purposely make
varied sounds, from clear tones to breathy and wispy tones, to portray the
text of the song.
Club singers often perform in dark, smoky clubs and need to keep their body
and voice healthy.
If you’re not auditioning with a band, find songs that work well with piano
and don’t require a back-up band to sound good. Or bring your own tracks.
When you perform pop-rock or R&B, you may have to dance and sing at the
same time. Showmanship counts a great deal in this business, but the show-
manship should enhance great singing technique.
On television
Auditioning for television is thrilling, but it may feel like a different world if
you’ve performed only in small theaters or the church choir. Here are some
basic guidelines for auditioning your song for a televised performance:
Self-confidence is a must. Being confident means letting go of your shy-
ness but not being cocky. You want to be mentally prepared so you can
handle the stress of a high-pressure audition. Self-confidence makes your
audience feel at ease because they don’t have to worry about you —
they can enjoy your performance. Being cocky may turn them off
because it may look like you’re too good for them. You want to show a
spark of star power without being arrogant.
Choose material that highlights your strength and is appropriate for
the audition. You have to determine your strength and which song will
show off your assets. If you aren’t sure about the material, hire a repu-
table coach to give you feedback.
The camera is your friend. If someone asks you to slate, he wants you to
announce your name and your song to the camera. The camera picks up
every little detail, so practice in front of a camera prior to the audition. A
small hand-held camcorder is fine. Record yourself practicing your audi-
tion. Pay attention to your body language; do you appear confident? Ask
someone who has done television auditions to give you feedback.
Your outfit really matters. Wearing something that shows your body at
its best is key for a television audition. The outfit should show your style
and represent your personality.
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 263
Choosing Audition Songs to
Highlight Vour Strengths
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Choosing songs to practice is different than choosing songs for an audition.
You want to practice songs that expand and challenge your vocal technique.
But songs for the audition need to highlight your strengths and accomplish-
ments from all those hours of practice. When you audition, you need a vari-
ety of stories and acting choices, as well as multiple vocal colors and good
range. You also need to research the audition so you know who and what
you're auditioning. You can then highlight your strengths appropriately. The
following sections explain in more detail.
The hardest part of auditioning is choosing the songs to sing. Choosing songs
that are perfect for you and that show off your talents is an art. This artful skill
takes time to develop, so keep looking at songs to continue expanding your
book of audition songs.
If you can, find out what kind of song is appropriate for your audition. If you’re
auditioning for musical theater in a big city, for example, the ad for the audi-
tion may tell you what kind of song to prepare. Sometimes the ad tells you to
sing something from the show you're auditioning for; sometimes it tells you
not to sing something from the show. You want to choose a song that’s simi-
lar to the show you’re auditioning for and similar to the character you want
to play. Having a variety of song choices ready gives you a chance to choose
something on the spot when you’re asked for a contrasting song.
Showing versatility
Yes, variety is the spice of life, and your choice of songs should offer variety.
A little variety gives you an opportunity to show off a well-balanced set of
skills. Song number one can be a song that shows off glorious high notes, and
song number two may have a sassy belt that shows off your ability to change
gears quickly.
Find songs that show off your strengths as a singer, and try to find variety
within each song. The biggest pitfall to avoid is choosing only songs that
develop the same kind of character (or same personality) and showcase the
same kind of vocal sound. If you show only one side of you, the auditioner
can’t see that you're a skilled performer who can sing different kinds of songs
and can add variety and spice throughout the show.
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The following list offers ways to show versatility at specific types of auditions:
Opera: When you know your voice type and fach, choose a variety of
arias based on language and characters that you think fit you and your
voice. (If you don’t know your voice type, fach, or aria, check out the
earlier section, “At the opera.”) The most common languages the opera
company expects you to know or to sing well in are French, German,
Italian, and English. Get some help from your coach on polishing your
languages so that you sound like you actually speak the language, even if
you don’t.
Musical theater: At many musical theater auditions, you may be asked
to sing a pop song, but to show a variety of song styles, you want to
have early musical theater songs (not just the shows that have been
written in the last ten years), later songs, and pop-rock songs, too. Often
singers confine themselves to singing contemporary songs, but to show
versatility, they choose one ballad and one up-tempo song from the top
three broad categories: musical theater songs written before 1960, musi-
cal theater songs written after 1960, and pop-rock songs. If you have one
song from each of these three periods, continue to branch out and add
more contrasting songs to your repertoire that highlight your voice and
acting skills.
Radio songs: If you’re auditioning with a song from the radio in pop-
rock, country, or R&B, you want to show the versatility of your voice.
Choose a song that shows off your vocal skills. You have to show that
you can belt the high notes and make it sound like it’s easy, use the
right kind of sound for the style, and prove that you can entertain an
audience. The sound for a rock song isn’t the same as the sound for an
aria — see Chapter 13 for help with your belt and Chapters 11 and 12 for
help with the registers of your voice.
Some auditions require that you sing a capella (without accompaniment).
Choose a song that sounds good without accompaniment and one that you
can confidently sing without backup. Record your practice sessions so that
you’re aware of how your voice sounds on your song and how well it works
when you’re singing alone.
Connecting with the lyrics
You can’t choose a song just because you sing it well. If you just sing it well,
you can sell a recording instead of asking an audience to watch you sing it.
When you find a song that you sing really well, you need to figure out how to
make it work for you as an actor. Keep these tips in mind:
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 265
Don’t sing a song if you don’t like the words. Make sure that you can
relate to the story. Take the time to really home in on a great story that
supports the song and gives you a reason to sing it. Check out Chapter
18 for some help on telling a story while singing.
Choose age-appropriate stories. A 15-year-old girl could choose an age-
appropriate story about growing up and liking boys but shouldn’t be
singing about struggling to pay the mortgage.
The stories in the songs should vary to show different aspects of your
personality and acting abilities. After you find that wonderful ballad about
your long-lost love, find a funny song that shows off your comic timing, or
another song that contrasts with the love song. The two songs should vary
in tempo to create even more contrast. But don’t get off the bus yet. Stay
on and keep searching for a song that shows off fire and determination.
om, Avoiding the wrong audition song
It’s the wrong audition song if one of these conditions applies:
You don’t like the song.
It’s out of your league as a singer or musician. For example, the song is
out of your range, most notes sit too high, or it’s too difficult musically.
1#” The song needs a band to make it work. You’re likely to have only a pia-
nist backing you up at most auditions, so stick to songs that work with
this type of accompaniment. If you’ll have a band at your audition, make
sure that you know what key you want your song in and bring lead sheets.
The song makes the listener think of the famous person who made the
song a hit. You want the listener to hear you and focus attention on you.
It’s hard to find great songs that no one famous has performed, but be
aware of this point as you’re choosing your song. If you remember that
famous performance, chances are good that someone else will too. The
reality-show contestants who sing the famous song really well are the
ones who figured out how to make the song their own.
You couldn't sing the song on your worst day. If you constantly have
to be aware of your singing technique when you sing it, choose some-
thing else.
Making a 30-second cut is impossible.
1# You can’t get through the song without crying.
Every accompanist you’ve worked with has trouble sight reading it.
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266 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
The song is really negative. Because singers should choose songs that
represent their personality and their skills, a negative song may make
you look negative. Most people prefer to work with someone positive.
The song is overdone. The eternal question is “What’s overdone?” Each
year, the answer to this question can change. Assume that if it’s a song
that everyone knows and loves to sing, it’s probably done quite a bit.
If you have a copy of the song in a popular music book, so do several
thousand other people. If you see the show listed in the trade paper
Backstage or Classical Singer all the time, your song is probably super
popular. You don’t have to find obscure songs, but if ten other people
sang your favorite song at the last audition, it may be overdone.
Preparing the Music
Preparing music for auditions is a tricky game. Notebook preparation is a big
part of your audition success. If your music is easy to read and the accom-
panist plays it well, your audition will run smoothly. It’s common in all types
of auditions to have a notebook with songs. For opera and musical theater,
you'll have copies of songs or arias. Other genres, such as pop-rock, R&B,
or jazz, require that you either have a copy of the music or create a lead
sheet — a sheet with the melody, chord progressions, and lyrics written out
for the accompanist. Your coach can help you prepare this notebook for
your auditions, or you can hire your coach to come to the audition with you.
Occasionally you'll be asked to bring a recording instead of sheet music.
The biggest rule of notebook preparation is that whatever is in your note-
book or in your bag is fair game at the audition. The audition panel will most
likely ask you what you want to sing first. If you sing your favorite song and
they ask to hear something else, be sure that your notebook of audition
songs doesn’t include a song you haven’t rehearsed. You'll be giving your
notebook to the audition pianist to play from, and he may flip through your
notebook and suggest one of those unprepared songs as you’re handing out
your resume or talking to the other people in the room. You don’t want to
have to say that it’s not ready. Keep all your songs that are ready in one note-
book and the songs that are works in progress in another. To prepare your
songs for your audition notebook, follow these guidelines:
Punch holes in the music and insert the pages into a three-ring note-
book. Put the sheets back to back, just like they appear in a book, and
punch the holes or copy the music double-sided. When turning the page,
the accompanist should see two new pages of music, just like a book.
Tape (don’t staple!) the sheets together on the top and bottom-right cor-
ners if your pages aren’t double-sided.
Another option is to photocopy the song and slip the pages back to back
into nonglare sheet protectors. You can purchase these at most office
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 26 7
supply stores. Be sure to purchase the nonglare protectors so the lights
in the room don’t create a glare off the music.
Some pianists refuse to play music in nonglare sheet protectors or in
a notebook, and some love it. If nonglare sheet protectors aren’t an
option, copy the music and tape the pages to file folders (or something
that stands up easily and won't blow over), or tape the pages together
so they’re connected and the pianist can spread out the music on the
music rack. You want the pages to be connected with tape because a
breeze in the room will blow away single sheets.
Original scores written by hand are hard to read. When the earlier
musical theater shows were written, the composer wrote out the music
by hand. Older copies of original scores done by hand are hard to read.
If you have to err on the safe side, find a copy of the music that’s a little
easier to read.
Know when to bring a copy of the song or a lead sheet. Bring a full
copy of the song, not a copy from a fake book or lead sheet for opera
and musical theater auditions. Books that offer a thousand songs in one
book are usually fake books. A fake book has only the words, the chord
symbols, and the melody line; the accompaniment part isn’t shown. For
auditions other than opera and musical theater, bring your lead sheet.
You can copy your lead sheet from a fake book or you can ask your
coach to help you prepare yours if you want the arrangement of the
song to vary from your fake book.
Choosing the key
I highly recommend that you try to find the song in the key that you want to
sing it in. If you sing a song that’s in the wrong key, you may end up sound-
ing more like Kermit the Frog than Kelly Clarkson or Renée Fleming on those
high notes. See Chapter 16 for Web sites that allow you to find out what key
sheet music is in or choose the key you want before you buy it. Opera arias
are seldom transposed. You may find art songs in different keys in the music
store, but the arias are usually sung as written on the page. Keep reading for
help if you plan to sing something other than arias at your audition.
You can’t assume that your audition accompanist can or will transpose by
sight (put the song in a higher or lower key while playing). Purchase the song
in the key you want to sing it in, or have someone transpose it for you before
the audition. An accompanist may refuse to transpose at sight if the song is
just too difficult, and it’s her choice. You don’t want her to transpose some-
thing at your audition if she thinks she may mess it up. You need the piano to
sound really good as you sing.
Still, if you finally find a wonderful song that’s almost perfect for you — maybe
the notes are a tad too low or too high — you can get it transposed. When a song
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268 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
is transposed, someone — you or someone you hire — puts the song in a key other
than the one it was originally written in so the melody sounds higher or lower.
If you transpose your song (or have someone else do it), keep these points in
mind:
You may want the beginning of the song much higher, but that means
that the tricky middle section also gets higher. It’s one thing to have
some really cool high notes, yet it’s quite another to sing those cool high
notes over and over when you raise the key. Look at the range and tessitura
(where most of the notes sit in the song) to determine how much higher or
lower to change the key. Practice the song in the new key, whether higher
or lower, to make sure that you can manage all the notes in the new key.
Hiring someone to transpose an entire song is expensive. In transpos-
ing, the person has to copy the music (by hand or by using a computer
program) into another key, which can be time consuming and costly.
You can expect to pay way more to have a song transposed than it
would cost you to purchase one in the right key for you. A song in sheet
music that costs you less than $10 may cost well over $50 to transpose.
If you know a little bit about music, you may find software such as Finale
helpful in transposing your song.
Make sure that you have an accompanist read the transposed copy
of your music before the audition. Don’t assume that the person who
transposed it didn’t make any mistakes. It won’t take long for someone
to play through it, and then you know exactly how it sounds in the new
key and whether this key really does fit your voice.
Making the cut
In the beginning of your audition quest, you may not have the opportunity to
sing your entire song. For each song that you plan to sing at your audition,
choose 16 bars or 8 bars (called a cut) in advance and prepare this selec-
tion. (Still, knowing the entire song is best, just in case you’re asked to sing
it. Opera companies and many local community auditions, for example, may
allow you to sing the whole song. That opportunity is great for you, but even
in these situations, be prepared with a cut, in case they start to run late.)
A bar or measure is what’s between the bar lines. Notice the vertical line going
down through the five lines on the musical staff. That’s a bar line. In between
two bar lines is a measure (which is also known as a bar).
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 269
When you cut the song, you can count out the measures or assume that you
have about 30 seconds to sing. That’s a short amount of time, so make the
most of it. When deciding on the 16 bars, keep these points in mind:
The 16 bars (or 16 measures) need a sense of completion. The cut must
make sense lyrically, and the music must have a sense of completion.
Successful cuts are often the last 16 bars or go from the middle of the
song (called the bridge) to the end.
1# The biggest mistake is assuming that you can start at the beginning
and just go until the end. You’re going to be cut off, and that cutoff may
happen right before the best part of the song.
In the heat of the moment, choosing which section to sing is difficult.
Making the decision before the audition gives you time to think about
the cut, practice the cut to make sure that you really get to say some-
thing, practice hearing the note, and then start on that phrase.
Choose a section that really shows off your vocal range and your acting
abilities.
Marking the music
As you rehearse and prepare your music, highlight whatever an accompanist
may find tricky in the song. If you’re taking it to a pianist to play it for you,
ask her to mark it. Assuming that you’re on your own and feel confident
that you can mark your music yourself, use a highlighter and highlight the
following:
Directional symbols, such as a repeat sign, a DS al Coda, or a double
bar. (See Music Theory For Dummies, by Michael Pilhofer and Holly Day
[Wiley], for an explanation of these markings.) Highlight them so that
the accompanist can see them ahead of time. You can also point out the
marking so that she knows how to map out the page turns.
Tempo changes that are important and that may not be well marked in
the music. You can provide your starting tempo, but mark any changes
so that the accompanist can easily follow along.
Places where you ad-lib what’s on the page. If you’re singing a section
very freely, mark it so that the accompanist can follow you, or create
chords to support you while you ad-lib or riff.
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Keeping track of your auditions
In addition to your collection of songs for audi-
tion purposes, keep a journal or notebook of
auditions. You can keep a record of what you
sang, who was at the audition, where the audi-
tion was held, who helped you get the audition,
what kind of audition it was, whether you got
a callback or a job offer, any comments that
were made during the interview, and the names
of the people you met. It’s surprising how fast
you can forget these details. When you go back
to sing for the same company at a later date,
you want to refresh yourself on what changes
they asked you to make to your song, to see
whether you're easy to direct; who was there
so you can say hello; which songs they liked or
didn’t like so you can choose something else, if
necessary; and any other information that may
improve this audition.
Rehearsing with an accompanist
Hearing a pianist play your song or aria before you take it to an audition is
important. If you don’t read music, this is even more important. You may
erroneously assume that your song is the exact same version that you heard
on the radio, so it may come as quite a shock when you hear your song for
the first time at an audition and have no earthly idea what those sounds are.
Remember that publishing companies usually publish songs in keys that are
easy to play. If the singer on the radio sings the song in a really hard key with
many accidentals (sharp, flat, or natural signs placed before individual notes
to indicate that they’re a half step higher or lower), the publishing company
may change the key to make it more accessible to beginning pianists.
Singers who also play guitar may really enjoy accompanying themselves for
an audition. Adrenaline may cause your hands to shake, so practice in front of
an audience before the audition to work out the nerves. When you audition or
practice with a guitar, you want to maintain your alignment, coordinate your
breath just as you do with the exercises in Chapter 4, and look at your audi-
ence. You can look at your guitar, but look up frequently so that the audience
can see your eyes and connect with you.
By having a pianist read your music for you before an audition, you get an
opportunity to check the key to make sure that it’s exactly in the range where
you want to sing. The following sections explain what an accompanist can do
for you.
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song
Taking the lead
Your voice teacher may have been playing the song for you, and you may be
comfortable with that version. When you take it to someone else to read it for
you, you have to be much more specific when you lead.
A good pianist waits to hear the consonant on the downbeat before playing
the chord. If you wait to hear the chord from the pianist, you may be wait-
ing a long time. You may get an audition pianist who wants to lead you, but
that usually happens because you’re not leading or the accompanist feels
like you’re in trouble. Sometimes the pianist speeds up if you’re struggling to
maintain the longer phrases because he assumes that you won’t struggle so
much with maintaining airflow. You have to be confident enough to lead and
know that, when you lead, the accompanist will follow.
The speed with which you take your first breath also indicates your tempo.
If you take a quick breath, the accompanist assumes that the song is going to
move out. If your breath is slow and deliberate, he can assume that the piece
is going to move slowly.
Getting help with musical notation
The pianist can check the cuts you made or new directional markings that
you inserted. If he has trouble following the markings, ask him how to write it
out to make it clear to someone who’s never seen the song.
If you’ve changed the key and put new chord symbols over the line to indi-
cate the new sequence of chords, make sure that the pianist checks these for
you. One tiny error can lead you to the wrong high note at the end.
You may also want to ask the pianist to help you mark the song to make your
needs clear. If you want to slow down at the end or get louder in one section,
ask him to help you mark the piece so that any accompanist can read ahead
and see those changes coming. If your tempo is really important, you may
want to ask the pianist to write in a metronome marking to indicate exactly
the speed at which you want to sing. (See Chapter 10 for more on metro-
nomes.) The audition pianist won’t have a metronome on the piano, but she
can see the marking and estimate your desired tempo.
Bringing a recording
Providing your own recording to sing along with at the audition gives you a
chance to rehearse and get familiar with the accompaniment. You want to
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2 72 Part IV: Preparing to Perform
ask what to bring to the audition. Some audition rooms have a CD player;
some have a hookup for your iPod. Make sure that your CD is a good-quality
recording to sing along with. Whether you use GarageBand or hire an accom-
panist to record it, use a good-quality recording system so that the sounds
on your CD make a good impression at the audition.
Nailing the Audition
To nail your audition, you want to be prepared. Your audition may draw a lot
of competition; being really prepared increases your chances of getting the
gig. The following sections offer some preparation tips.
Doing your prep work
Knowing your style, choosing your song, and preparing your music are the
most important steps you take in preparing for your audition. But you don’t
want to let the small things fall through the cracks, either! Depending on your
selected genre of music or the size of your city, you may not have to do all
these things. In bigger cities with more competition (particularly in the musi-
cal theater genre), you want to make sure that you do everything you can to
be prepared.
Know the scene. If you’re auditioning for musical theater, read the
trade paper Backstage for at least one year. For opera, do the same with
Classical Singer. You want some time to get used to the audition listings
and to prepare your audition book (a notebook that has photocopies of
all the songs you’re prepared to sing for auditions) for any type of show.
As you’re preparing, set some goals — both short term and long term —
so you have a plan of action. For other styles of music, you can find audi-
tions listed online at sites such as www. backpage.com or you can hire
a coach who can help you set goals and find local auditions.
Get your resume and headshot ready. A resume and headshot are like
a calling card for the entertainment industry. If they like you, they will
keep your resume to contact you. When you put together your resume,
list your important credits and assume that someone will spend only
about 30 seconds looking at it. If you list every single thing you’ve done,
the audition panel may miss the credits you really want them to see.
You also want your resume to be only one page. Don’t fib or stretch the
truth on special skills. Be specific when listing your voice type for classi-
cal auditions; adding information about belting is important for musical
theater auditions (mezzo belter, soprano with high belt, baritenor, and
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Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 2 13
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so on). You want to list your range along with your voice type on your
resume. They want to know your performance range, the notes you’re
confident singing in performance.
At most auditions, singers bring a photograph called a headshot. This
headshot is usually an 8-x-10-inch, color photograph of just the head or
upper body. The photo also usually has the singer’s name printed on the
bottom in the border. Your photo needs to look like you at the audition.
Staple the headshot and resume together, with the smooth side of the
staple facing the resume side, or use double-sided tape to attach them.
If you’re not sure whether you should take a resume and headshot to your
audition, you can ask. (lf you’re auditioning for musical theater, call the
theater office or the contact person listed in the audition ad.) But assume
that the answer will be “yes”; it’s better to have it ready, just in case.
Pick up audition skills from classes or advice from teachers.
Practice the way you'll audition. If you know you'll use a microphone
at the audition, practice with one. At the audition without a microphone,
you'll have to show that you can project your voice. Work on creating
a resonant sound to project at the audition. Chapter 11 contains infor-
mation about projecting sound in the specific areas of your range and
Chapter 24 has some tips on singing with a microphone.
Prepare your speaking voice for the sides (material from the show that
you're asked to sight read or prepare for the callback). See Chapter 13
for help with your speaking voice.
Dressing in the right outfit
At your audition, remember that other people are looking at you from the
minute you walk in the door — not just when you sing. You want to show off
your body and look great in your outfit. If you’re auditioning for a musical or
a production with a specific character, think about what the character you’re
auditioning for looks like. You want to suggest the character but not dress
exactly like the character. For an opera audition, you want to look classy.
Wearing jeans and your cool tennis shoes is fine for a pop-rock audition,
but not for an opera audition. If you’re not auditioning for a character role,
choose an outfit that shows off your personality and highlights your figure.
Also remember that you may not be cast the first time you audition, but you
still need to make a good impression. Sometimes directors ask you back to
audition again to make sure that you’re outstanding every time you audition,
not just on a good day. Though your mother may not like it, wear the same
outfit for the callback.
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Knowing who will attend the audition
For every musical production from a video to a musical to a singing contest, a
producer, musical director, stage manager, choreographer, director, casting
director, and general manager run the show. These are theater bosses who
hold the line. You may see any or all of them at your audition.
Producer: Pays the money, or finds it, so the show can go on.
General manager: Keeps up with how the money is spent.
Casting director: Calls in the actors to audition for the parts in the show
or talks with their agents.
Director: Acts as the guide and traffic cop for all the actors on the stage.
1#” Musical director: Shoulders the responsibility for the quality of the
music in the production. Tasks may involve everything from working
on arrangements for specific numbers to playing the piano at perfor-
mances. When the musical director isn’t available, the rehearsal pianist
is called in.
Choreographer: Creates the staging or directions for who moves when
and where during the show.
Conductor: Waves her arms in time to the music so that the musicians
in the orchestra pit and the singers onstage can follow along.
Stage manager: Keeps everybody and everything in order.
Be nice to everyone at an audition. You never know who you're talking to.
That person may be the director’s assistant — or he may end up directing the
next show you audition for.
Greeting the audition accompanist
The audition pianist can be your friend or foe, based on how you behave.
Most of the time, the pianist who is at the audition is a really swell person
who plays like a dream.
A few simple actions that seem harmless to you can really set off an accom-
panist. Allow me to share a few tips:
Don’t try to shake hands with the audition pianist, even if you think it’s
good manners. Shaking hands translates to squeezing someone’s hands,
no matter how gently. The pianist doesn’t want swollen fingers after
shaking hundreds of hands during a long audition day.
1# Smile and address the pianist with respect when you provide your
tempo or point out the road map in your song. Briefly, but very nicely,
describe what you’ve highlighted or point out any tough spots. Your
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conversation with the pianist has to be quick — be brief and to the
point. Practice briefly describing your tempo and the road map of the
song, and practice how you'll indicate to start.
Never snap your fingers to give the accompanist the tempo. Snapping
may be an easy way to describe your tempo, but many accompanists
take offense to it. Instead, quietly speak a few words at the speed you
want to sing.
Explain how you plan to indicate that you’re ready to begin. You can
nod your head or look up to let the pianist know that you’re ready to
begin.
You can hope that the audition pianist can transpose at sight, but you
can’t assume this skill. Feel free to ask whether she can transpose, but if
she hesitates or says no, choose something else to sing.
Reading music on the page and transposing at sight are two different
skills. Unless someone is used to transposing a song, it may not be
her strongest skill. You may also hear more wrong notes as the pia-
nist attempts to read it in your favorite key. Be safe, and get the song
transposed and written out well in advance of your audition. Better
yet, choose a song that’s already in the key you can sing well. See the
“Choosing the key” section, earlier in this chapter, for details on choos-
ing a song in the right key.
Thank the pianist just before you leave. You may not know the pianist
personally and may assume that he’s just a really cool person who only
plays the piano. But the audition pianist may be the musical director. Be
sure to read the suggestions on how to prepare your music for the audi-
tion so that the pianist enjoys meeting you and playing your song.
Acting at the audition
Acting while singing is a must. Your acting preparation of your song needs to
be as detailed as your musical preparation. Check out Chapter 18 for infor-
mation on acting while singing. You want your audience to watch you during
your audition, and if you aren’t acting, they have no reason to look at you.
At an audition, your choice of where to direct your eyes is similar to where
you direct your eyes if you’re telling a story. The only decision you have to
make is whether to look at the person you’re singing to. Most of the time, the
answer to that question is to not make eye contact. However, if you have a
fun song that has spunk and character, do look at your audience. Songs that
address your invisible scene partner are best directed to that imaginary part-
ner on the wall directly in front of you. Because you’re pretending that you’re
talking to that scene partner, you want to look at him as if he’s in the room
with you, but not stare at him. When you have a conversation with someone,
you look at that person and then look away, but you don’t stare at him. You
don’t want to stare at the wall when you sing your song at your audition.
Chapter 20: Auditioning a Song 2 15
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Knowing when to hire an agent
You need an agent when you have enough
performing experience that you need to get
into the bigger, more prominent auditions.
An agent helps you get performing jobs, but
the agent doesn’t do all the work. The agent
can only get you the audition. You have to be
good enough to land the gig. An agent usually
takes 10 percent of your performance income,
whether he gets you the gig or not. If you think
you may be interested in an agent, start reading
the articles in the trade papers Backstage or
Classical Singer about agents and managers to
see whether you're ready for that kind of busi-
ness relationship. For more detailed information
about agents, managers, freelancing, auditions,
and contracts, pick up a copy of Breaking into
Acting For Dummies, by Larry Garrison and
Wallace Wang (Wiley).
Assuming that the casting director for whom you're auditioning is sitting
near the middle of one wall in the audition room, focus your eyes a few feet
on either side of him (or them, if there’s more than one person). Most acting
teachers tell you to keep your eyes centered in one spot on the wall so that
you don’t have any odd body angles in an audition. That’s good advice in the
beginning of your training. As you get more accustomed to different kinds of
focus and multitasking, you can widen your focus.
Preparing mentally
Being mentally prepared for an audition means doing your preparation work
(practicing, preparing your headshot and resume, researching the audition,
and so on) and visualizing yourself successful at the audition. You want to
mentally prepare for success because with success comes the responsibil-
ity of performing well under pressure. Mentally preparing is as important as
preparing your singing voice. Check out Chapter 19 to help with performance
anxiety.
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Part V
The Part of Tens
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
5
“Well, that’s pe last time we hire
a high soprano to sing at the
glassblower’s convention.”
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In this part...
fros performers don’t always have great technique,
but in this part, I show you ten singers who do. Check
it out to see whether I included the singers you like. In
this part, I also answer ten of the most frequently asked
questions about singing — you know, those questions
that you want to ask but you’re not sure who has the
answers. If you’re concerned about vocal health (and you
should be!), this part also gives you ten tips for maintaining
yours. This part finishes with ten great performing tips.
Explore the suggestions to make your performance
fabulous.
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Chapter 21
Ten Performers with
Good Technique
In This Chapter
Crediting singers with versatility and range
Meeting a few of my favorites
Ui: singers have good technique? Some great performers have
great vocal technique, and some great performers are still working
on theirs. Check out this list of ten singers to see whether I list your favorite.
You find pop-rock, country, musical theater, and classical music performers
on this list.
Although I limit the number of singers with great vocal technique to ten, you
can be sure that the true number of wonderful singers with great technique is
much higher. The eclectic nature of this list just goes to show that good tech-
nique crosses the lines of style, gender, age, race, and song.
Kristin Chenoweth
Tiny little Kristin Chenoweth packs quite a punch with her voice. Her solid
training allows her to move back and forth from legit sounds (head voice-
dominated sounds similar to classical singing) to belt. As a high soprano, she
demonstrates her versatility in songs such as “14G,” where her head voice
and her high belt are equally polished. Her signature roles include Sally in
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; she also originated the role of Glinda in
Wicked. Find out more about her career at www. kristin-chenoweth.com.
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280 Part V: The Part of Tens
Linda Eder
Linda Eder’s career has spanned both the pop world and Broadway. Her
early recordings provide a window into her career as a strong, confident
soprano, singing well above the staff in songs such as Vole Mon Age. Her big
break on Broadway was Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde. My favorite recording of hers
is “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” where she shows off her amazing vocal
flexibility and command of her instrument. Find out more about her at
www. lindaeder.com.
Renée Fleming
American soprano Renée Fleming wows the audience with her sumptuous
tone, flexibility, and exquisite dynamic precision. She started out as a jazz
singer and blossomed into a world-class opera singer. Renée is one of those
singers who can skillfully vary her tone to match the emotional journey of
her character. Her signature roles include the title roles of Rusalka, Manon,
Thais, and Arabella. Find more about her at www. reneefleming.com.
Faith Hill
Mississippi-born Faith Hill made a huge splash as a pop and country singer.
She crosses over into both styles and shows off her sassy high belt as well as
a steady vibrato. Her signature songs show the variety of sounds she makes
with her voice. “Cry” shows her high belt, “It Matters to Me” highlights her
mixed belt and even vibrato, “Take Me As I Am” demonstrates her chatty
belt, and “The Way You Love Me” shows off her mix belt. Mega hits that top
the pop and country charts include “Breathe” and “This Kiss.” Find out more
about Faith at www. faithhill.com.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson (1958-2009) is considered the King of Pop. Michael’s career
spanned his entire life: He started performing as a child onstage with his
brothers in the Jackson 5 and then moved on to a solo career. Michael’s
troubles may have overwhelmed his personal life at times, but his amazing
voice was always there. His recordings as a young boy demonstrate an amaz-
ing falsetto and mix. He continued to develop his mix and belt and proved
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Chapter 21: Ten Performers with Good Technique
Toby
himself to be a versatile vocal chameleon on albums such as Thriller (which
claims the best video of all time and best-selling album of all time). Find out
more about Michael at www.michaeljackson.com.
Keith
Toby Keith’s songs range from comic songs with fun musical turns to smooth
ballads that show off his confidence in sustaining long phrases. His tone
varies from chatty to warm and rich. Toby easily varies his tone in his songs
to demonstrate his solid storytelling skills. Signature songs include his early
recordings of great country stories, such as “Should’ve Been a Cowboy’; the
comic song “Who’s Your Daddy?”; the sarcastic song “How Do You Like Me
Now?!”; and ballads such as “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” and “When
Love Fades.” Find out more about Toby at www. tobykeith. com.
Beyoncé Knowles
Elvis
Beyoncé Knowles may sing R&B, but her technique is solid enough that she
can sing other styles with ease. Her performance in Dream Girls allowed us
to see her vocally morph from a head voice—dominated mix into a full, sassy
belt. Her showmanship only enhances her broad skills; she’s not hiding
behind the mic. Beyoncé’s signature songs include “Sweet Dreams” (hear her
alternating registers with ease); “Get Me Bodied” (chatty belt); “The Closer
I Get to You,” with Luther Vandross; and “Halo.” Find more about this mega-
star at www. beyonceonline.com.
Presley
Elvis Presley (1935-1977), the King of Rock and Roll and my favorite male
singer, brought simple songs dancing off the page. His voice moved easily
from high to low. Throughout his movie and singing career, he enjoyed huge
success as a sexy singer. His career spanned 33 movies and resulted in 140
albums and singles, and his music crossed the lines between gospel and rock
and roll with a blues feeling. Growing up in Memphis, Elvis was surrounded
by famous gospel and blues singers who made a lasting impression on the
young singer. Signature songs include “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,”
“Blue Christmas,” and “Viva Las Vegas.” To find out more about Elvis, go
online to www.elvis.com or check out Elvis For Dummies, by Susan Doll,
PhD (Wiley).
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282 Part V: The Part of Tens
Anthony Warlow
Australian Anthony Warlow has the full, rich tone of a leading man and the
ability to create huge variations of tone to portray the text. His roles and
recordings show off his wide range and versatility. Within his recordings, you
can hear him move from falsetto into a mix and then even farther into chest
voice. Signature roles include the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera,
Papageno in The Magic Flute, and KoKo in The Mikado. Use your favorite
search engine to find out more about him or listen to his videos online.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder made a name for himself and his high tessitura because of his
solid musicianship and ability to pour his soul into his songs. He showed off
his belt throughout signature songs such as “Isn’t She Lovely” and “I Wish,”
and showcased his falsetto and mix in “As” and “You Are the Sunshine of
My Life.” Some of his great hits include “My Cherie Amour,” “Signed, Sealed,
Delivered, I’m Yours,” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Find out more
about this marvelous musician at www. steviewonder.net.
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Chapter 22
Ten Frequently Asked
Questions about Singing
In This Chapter
Belting out a tune even if you’re a soprano
Eating and drinking before you sing
f you don’t know the answer to a question, then it’s not a stupid question.
Most new singers ask the same questions, so I’ve compiled the answers
to ten frequently asked questions about singing. Read through the follow-
ing questions and their answers to help with your singing. The answers may
inspire you to ask your voice teacher other questions that aren’t covered in
this chapter.
Is Belting Bad?
Belting isn’t bad for you if you do it right, and sopranos can certainly belt. In
fact, sopranos often have an easier time with belting than mezzos. Belting is
bad for you if you use a heavy chest voice to create the belt sound. Check out
Chapter 13 for information about working with your speaking voice and cre-
ating a healthy belt sound. You can also hear a singer on the CD demonstrate
healthy belting.
What Should I Do If My Voice Feels Off?
Plenty of factors can cause your voice to sound less than its best. Consider
three possibilities:
Thinking too much about how you sound as you sing may make you ner-
vous, and then your voice may not sound your best. Check out Chapter
19 for some help with performance anxiety, or see Chapter 18 for help
with acting and singing.
284 Part V: The Part of Tens
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Not getting enough sleep can cause your voice to feel sluggish and not
respond as easily as it normally does. Singing too much the day before
or the day of an audition also can cause your voice to get tired. See
Chapter 23 for more information about maintaining a healthy voice.
Your singing muscles are like other muscles in your body. Working out
is just fine, but they need a rest after the workout.
Emotions affect your singing voice. Crying can make your vocal cords
swell and feel puffy, too. Wait until after your performance to watch that
sad movie.
If your voice is husky, breathy, strident, muffled, hooty, or off in any other
way, first read about onset of tone in Chapter 6. If after working on onset of
tone your voice still isn’t clear, take some time to read about healthy speak-
ing habits in Chapter 13. If you’re abusing your speaking voice, you may
also be making your singing voice work much harder to produce gorgeous
sounds. Husky tones usually result from some sort of abuse of the singing
voice or the speaking voice. Medications may cause your throat to be dry
and scratchy. You can read Chapter 23 for more information about medica-
tions and their effect on the singing voice. Breathy tones usually indicate
that the cords aren’t closing completely and are allowing too much air to
escape. Strident tones typically result from too much physical pressure or
not enough balance of sound in the resonators. Try the exercises in Chapters
4 and 6 on opening the throat to feel the release of the added physical pres-
sure. Muffled or hooty tones usually come from not making specific vowels
or allowing the resonance to live too far in the back of your throat. Read
Chapter 8 on vowels and the shape of vowels, and then read Chapters 5 and 6
for some help with tone.
How are an Accompanist, a Coach,
and a Voice Teacher Different?
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ot
Three specialists can help you prepare your song or help you with singing
technique. They have different skills and strengths; read on to figure out
which one is right for you:
¥ A pianist or accompanist is someone who plays the piano for you to prac-
tice singing but doesn’t offer advice on singing technique. An accom-
panist usually charges less than a coach does because this role isn’t as
demanding. Their strength is great piano skills.
The word accompanist is often mispronounced. The correct pronuncia-
tion is uh-kum-puh-nist — there’s no “knee” in the word.
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Chapter 22: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Singing 285
Acoach is someone who plays the piano well and can give you tips on
your singing. During a work session with a coach, you may practice
hearing the piano cue for your entrances in your song, work on the pro-
nunciation of words, get tips on how to sing with the correct style, and
find good places to breathe within the text. A coach helps with some
basic tips on technique and supports the work of your voice teacher.
A voice teacher is a technique specialist. Although the coach may have
knowledge of technique, the voice teacher is the expert. The voice
teacher may not play the piano so well but makes up for it in knowledge
and advice on your technique. In your voice lesson, you can expect to
work at least half of the session on technique and the other half applying
that technique to repertoire. For more information about finding a voice
teacher and what to expect in lessons, check out Chapter 15.
If My Voice Is Scratchy,
Do Í Have Nodes?
Your voice has to take quite a bit of abuse for you to get nodes (small cal-
luses that form on the vocal cords). For example, you can’t get nodes from
yelling for your favorite team for only one day. Your cords may swell or feel
uncomfortable the next day, but you have to abuse your voice for a longer
period to develop nodes. (See Chapter 23 for information on vocal abuse.)
Just remember, if you don’t rub the cords the wrong way, you won’t have this
problem. If the scratchy sounds continue, try vocalizing high in your range.
Nodes usually affect the higher part of your voice. If the sound is husky only
in the middle part of your voice, you probably have another kind of swelling.
Check out Chapter 23 for more information on vocal health, and see Chapter
13 for help with your speaking voice.
Do I Have to Be Big to
Have a Big Voice?
Your voice size isn’t related to your waistline. If it were, all great singers
would be big and every large person would be a great singer. Actually,
having extra weight around the middle makes it harder to move your body
to breathe. If you’re used to that movement, it’s not a problem. The size of
your throat and head make a bigger difference in your voice than your girth.
A wide neck means your vocal cords are longer than someone with a narrow
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neck. A narrow neck means shorter vocal cords; singers with narrow necks
are often the higher voice types. A larger head means more space for the
sound to bounce around. One size isn’t better than another, but they make
for exciting differences between voices.
What’s the Best Singing Method?
The best singing method is the one that works best for you. You can find
singers and teachers who are quick to recommend their method, claim-
ing, “It’s the best.” But as long as the method introduces you to breath and
breath management, tone and resonance, articulation that allows you to be
understood without causing tension, and the general principles of good sing-
ing, then it’s a good method. My method of teaching is a combination of all
the teachers I’ve studied with.
You may hear singers talking about the bel canto method of singing. Bel canto
literally means “beautiful singing” in Italian and implies the use of smooth,
open tones. This method of singing and teaching began early in the 18th cen-
tury. Today bel canto implies beautiful singing in a more classical style.
Do Í Have to Speak Italian to Sing Well?
Speaking Italian never hurt anyone and can only enhance your singing.
Italians have been singing beautifully for many years and those singers are
great role models. However, Italians aren’t the only people making beautiful
sounds in the concert halls. Singers of every nationality can sing well. Enjoy
your native tongue, whatever it is, and sing your little heart out. Teachers
often recommend Italian songs because they have a long history of teaching
singing using Italian art songs and the Italian language contains fewer vowel
sounds, making it easy to learn precise vowel production.
Can I Have a Few Drinks Before the
Performance to Calm My Nerves?
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Drinking alcohol and singing isn’t a great combination. You can read in
Chapter 23 about how alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol also slows your reac-
tions, and you want a clear head for singing and performing. When you mix
singing and drinking, the small muscles in the throat may get too relaxed, caus-
ing you to lose coordination when you try to multitask during the performance.
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Chapter 22: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Singing 28 7
Chapter 19 has some tips for dealing with performance anxiety. You may find
those tips so helpful that you grow to love adrenaline (nerves) and look for-
ward to your performance.
Why Can’t I Eat Ice Cream
Before I Sing?
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Ice cream causes phlegm and mucus to build up. That mucus is thick and
makes you want to clear your throat. Unless dairy products don’t bother you,
I recommend avoiding ice cream and any other dairy products before sing-
ing. Make the mad dash to the ice cream store after practicing.
What should you eat or drink? Water is a safe bet. Some singers say they
don’t like cold water right before they sing. You can experiment with it to see
whether it makes your voice feel different.
Other singers may tell you to drink water with lemon or fruit juice to clean
out your throat. It won’t do any harm if you want to try it, but I don’t find it
beneficial. In fact, lemon is a diuretic, so it may dry out your throat.
Experiment with any food or drinks before the day of a performance so that
you know exactly how your throat feels afterward. Eating a couple of hours
before a performance also gives your body a chance to digest the food and
gives you some energy for the performance. Some people like to sing ona
full stomach, but you need to experiment singing right after eating to know
whether it affects you. On the day of a performance, eat familiar foods; you
don’t want any surprise digestive problems during the show.
How Long Will It Take
Me to Learn to Sing?
Great question — and I have no blanket answer to give you. If you know noth-
ing about singing and the information in the book is all new to you, you’ll
start to hear improvement after a few weeks of consistent practice. You may
not be ready for your debut at the Grammy Awards, but you’ll hear improve-
ment in your tone and your ability to transition between registers of your
voice. (See Chapter 11 for more information on vocal registers.)
Moving from a basic level to an intermediate level of singing takes about six
months to a year of consistent practice. As with other sports, the consistent
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288 Part V: The Part of Tens
repetition develops muscle memory. Basketball players execute drills every
practice. They run laps to build stamina and practice all kinds of coordina-
tion drills. Your singing practice session needs to include drills and exercises
(the kind of exercises you see throughout the book) to develop your skill and
coordination. Most beginners can expect about 50 percent of their technique
to stay with them under pressure. You want to work on your technique until
it’s solid so that your percentage of skill under pressure reaches a higher
level. Intermediate-level singers may achieve about 75 percent of their poten-
tial during a performance.
Advanced singing takes years to develop — but that fact shouldn’t discour-
age you. Great athletes continue to practice and develop their skills long into
their careers. The more you practice, the more advanced level of exercises
you can add to your routine.
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Chapter 23
Ten Tips for Maintaining
Vocal Health
In This Chapter
Speaking in a way that’s good for your voice
Figuring out how to nourish your voice
Getting the lowdown on vocal problems
J oven vocal abuse — any activity that causes strain on your voice —
can change the quality of your singing. And your voice may not always
be able to repair itself. Although most singers can minimize long-term prob-
lems with vocal rest, you need to avoid continued vocal abuse. Make your
x MBER vocal health a priority now.
& Regardless of whether you sing in your church choir or tour endlessly, main-
taining healthy habits is essential to maintaining your vocal health.
Identifying Everyday Abuses
The following list is by no means all-inclusive. You may find other factors that
greatly affect your vocal health over a period of time. Be sure to recognize
problems and keep them at bay before a big performance. In particular, keep
these common everyday factors in mind:
Alcohol: Alcohol dilates blood vessels in your body, which isn’t good for
your vocal cords if you plan to sing. When the blood vessels dilate, the
blood thins and comes to the surface, which makes you more suscep-
tible to a hemorrhage on your vocal cords. Limit your alcohol, and avoid
it on days when you have to practice or perform. Drink plenty of water
on days when you do choose to drink, because alcohol dehydrates you
and stays in your system up to three days.
Cigarette smoke: The smoke often causes inflammation of the tissues
in the throat, which makes singing more difficult. Avoid smoking and
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290 Part V: The Part of Tens
secondhand smoke at all times, because long-term use or association
can permanently damage your vocal cords. You especially want to avoid
smoke for several days before a lesson or performance.
Food: Certain foods can irritate your voice. Dairy products often cause
mucus to build up, which makes you clear your throat frequently. Pay
attention to how your body reacts to certain foods so you know what to
avoid the day before or day of a big concert or performance.
“ Medications: Many medications dry out your throat. If you need to take
the medications, compensate by drinking more water so you don’t get
dry when you sing. Talk to your doctor to see whether you can avoid
medications (or change the timing of the dosage) on days when you
have to do plenty of singing. Look for more information about medica-
tions in the “Medicating a Sore Throat” section, later in the chapter.
Pollen or dust: Sensitivities to allergens, such as pollen or dust, may
cause the vocal folds and throat to swell. Ask your doctor for sugges-
tions to help with allergy problems. In the meantime, take some basic
precautions: Clean your house regularly to prevent dust bunnies from
collecting and bothering you, choose nonallergenic materials for your
bed linens, use a vacuum cleaner that removes all pet hair, and avoid
areas with large quantities of dust. Listen to the local weather report
for the pollen count. Most areas have higher pollen counts in the early
morning or early evening. If you limit outdoor activities to the middle of
the day, you’re less likely to encounter the highest levels of pollen.
Y Throat clearing: If you’re a habitual throat clearer, now is the time to
break that habit and get to the root of the problem. Maybe you clear
your throat excessively because mucus builds up from postnasal drip
or acid reflux. Swallow instead of clearing your throat, and talk with
your doctor about the cause. For many singers, throat clearing is just an
unconscious habit that results from trying to clear the vocal cords for
singing. Singing with a little mucus isn’t going to hurt.
Incorporating Healthy Speech
into Vour Singing
Your speaking voice directly affects your singing. By taking good care of
your voice while speaking, you ensure better health for your singing voice.
(in case you missed it, Chapter 13 tells you about the speaking voice.) Try
making your speaking habits more healthy with these tips:
Apply your knowledge of breathing while talking — including talking on
the phone. Use your body as if you were singing; pay attention to your
posture and the pitch of your voice.
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Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Maintaining Vocal Health 29 ]
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Use full volume when you need to be heard (usually at sports events,
parties, or clubs), but don’t scream. You can also slightly raise the
pitch of your speaking voice to help it carry over the noise and use your
knowledge of resonance to project the sound.
Talk at a reasonable volume; don’t speak loudly all the time.
Notice your articulation as you speak — avoid speaking with tension,
such as jaw tension, tongue tension, or glottals.
Find your optimum speaking pitch so you don’t speak on a pitch that’s
too low for you (speaking too low usually causes a grinding sound).
Practice the speaking exercises in Chapter 13 to work on your speaking
habits.
Prolonged vocal abuse — including abuse of the speaking voice — can lead to
nodes (small calluses on the vocal cords). If you catch the node early enough,
vocal rest and eliminating the vocal abuse often take care of the situation. Of
course, the root of the problem is just as important as the symptom. Identify
what behavior caused the problem so you can prevent any reoccurrence.
Knowing When to Seek Help
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Being tired after a long rehearsal or after a series of rehearsals is normal. But
a problem may be brewing if your voice isn’t returning to normal and you’re
having trouble singing. If your voice feels tired, notes that used to be clear
are now fuzzy, you’re experiencing a loss of range, or your voice doesn’t feel
normal even after a good warm-up, you may want to problem-solve for about
two weeks before you head to the doctor.
First, go back to the basics. Even seasoned singers need to check in with the
basics of technique:
Review your breathing exercises.
1# Practice speaking exercises to review the coordination of breathing
while speaking.
Check your posture.
Practice in front of a mirror to see what you’re doing physically.
Review exercises that work on the different registers of your voice.
Practice singing softly.
Going back to the basics may help you realize that you were pushing, not
breathing properly, singing with tension, or abusing your speaking voice.
292 Part V: The Part of Tens
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You also want to think through any changes that you’ve made in your routine.
Changing detergent may cause your allergies to flare up; sleeping with your
windows open may cause your voice to be dry and scratchy in the morning;
drinking too much alcohol, smoking, changing your diet, or changing medica-
tions can adversely affect the voice. Any of these kinds of changes can cause
temporary problems with the voice.
If reviewing the basics for a couple of weeks doesn’t help and you haven’t
changed anything in your routine, go see a doctor. Visit a laryngologist or
an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) who is used to working with singers.
These doctors can look down your throat with a tiny high-speed camera and
watch your vocal cords in motion. They can tell you the root of the problem
and how to resolve it. They can also give you advice on whether you should
cancel or just take it easy during the performance. You need to cancel if it
hurts to sing, you get progressively more hoarse as you sing, or you can
barely make any sound.
Staying Hydrated
Your body is 50 to 65 percent water, and two important components of your
singing ability — your lungs and your muscles — need water to do their job.
Your lungs depend on water to keep the tissue moving easily, and muscle
tissue is made up of 75 percent water. So keeping your body well hydrated
helps your singing voice work better.
You can balance out your hydration with liquids other than water. Before
you drink that can of soda or cup of coffee, though, realize that the sugar
content in most drinks threatens your waistline and that caffeine dries you
out. Caffeine also is a diuretic, which means that it makes your body get rid
of water. You can’t rely on that morning cup of coffee to keep your voice
in good working order. Performing requires physical stamina, and a well-
hydrated body keeps the body functioning at its best.
Getting Plenty of Shut-Eye
Not getting enough sleep doesn’t give the tissue in your body — in your
throat — time to heal. Depriving yourself of sleep only makes your voice feel
sluggish. If you’re sleep deprived, your voice and brain react more slowly,
making it harder to sing your best. Singing longer phrases takes more effort,
your voice feels heavy instead of agile when you sing the faster notes, and
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forgetting the next word is more likely. You may survive on just a few hours
sleep at night, but is your voice also just surviving? You want your voice
to thrive, not just survive. Try getting more sleep for a few nights and see
whether that makes a difference in your singing. Even one more hour can
make a big difference to your tissues. You want to recoup and regenerate
during the night.
Making Sure That Vou’re Well Nourished
You need to maintain a balanced diet. Following guidelines of basic nutrition
means getting a balanced amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and
protein. Within this balanced diet, you find proper amounts of protein, car-
bohydrates, and fats. You may find that singing requires more energy, which
means adding protein to your diet to enhance your body’s ability to sustain
you through long rehearsals.
Though it may not be your personal issue, a body that is too lean or too
heavy may have trouble finding the stamina to sing and sustain the higher
pitches. Make sure that you’re regularly nourishing your body for stamina.
Many singers wait until late in the day to eat, but your body needs something
to get it started. Try to find a routine that enables you to get food in your
body early in the day so you aren’t snacking well into the night when your
body finally feels hungry. Eat breakfast to get your body nourished right
away, and don’t eat a huge dinner after your evening performance. Eat a
small meal before the performance, and a snack — not a huge meal — after-
ward. Eating a huge meal late at night will encourage acid reflux problems.
Preventing a Sore Throat or Infection
A great way to keep all those germs out of your body is to keep your hands
washed and away from your face. Your mom told you to wash your hands —
listen to her advice. If germs do start to attack and you feel the tickle from
drainage, try one of these options:
Gargle with warm salt water. Adding half a teaspoon of salt to a cup of
warm water and then gargling helps kill any germs that may lodge in the
back of your mouth. If you have frequent infections around your tonsils,
you may find that salt water is one of your best friends. Additionally,
swishing that salt water around in your mouth stops those painful little
canker sores right in their tracks.
Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Maintaining Vocal Health 293
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294 Part V: The Part of Tens
Y Use a neti pot. A neti pot washes out the nasal passages with warm salt
water. You can find a neti pot at your local drugstore, right next to the
cold medicines. Follow the directions on the box to wash out the germs
that are lingering, waiting for your immune system to give in so they can
attack. You may even feel that slight tickle when the drainage begins. By
flushing your nasal passages, you prevent the mucus from getting too
thick and hopefully sidetrack those germs.
Medicating a Sore Throat
It’s going to happen sometime, so you may as well know your options: You
are going to catch that cold or sore throat, and you have to know how to deal
with it. Use this advice for when your throat feels scratchy:
Avoid most nose sprays. Nasal sprays that contain antihistamines or
decongestants are habit forming and can cause symptoms to worsen
when you stop. Use these types of sprays only in emergencies.
Drink plenty of water with your medications. Most over-the-counter
medications dry you out. As long as you’re prepared for that side effect
and compensate with extra fluids, you won’t be shocked. Read about the
lowdown on three common cold medications:
e Antihistamines: These medicines stop the flood when your nose
starts running. The antihistamine dries out your upper respira-
tory tract secretions and probably makes you sleepy to boot. Use
an antihistamine to stop the flooding in your nasal passages, but
know that the dryness affects your singing. Keep up with your
fluids to counteract the dryness, and choose the right dosage.
e Cough medicine: Most cough medicines dry out your voice. Your
best bet is to find dextromethorphan with guaifenesin. The guaifen-
esin is a mucolytic, which brings up the mucus and keeps it flow-
ing. Take the cough medicine, but keep drinking fluids.
e Decongestants: These medicines open up your nose but dry out
your throat. When you feel that stuffy nose, you reach for your
decongestant, which opens the nasal passages. Keep the fluids
Rud incoming, even with decongestants.
Don’t experiment with any medications right before a performance or con-
cert. Try out medications ahead of time to know how your body reacts.
Keep some nasal saline spray handy. As your body tries to wash out
the germs (with a runny nose), you can use a nasal saline solution to
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Chapter 23: Ten Tips for Maintaining Vocal Health 295
help fight the infection when you’re away from your neti pot (see the
preceding section for more info on the neti pot). Using the spray when
you're sick means you need to exercise good hygiene: Place the nozzle
close enough to your nose to get in a good squirt, but not so close that
the cold germs from your nose get on the nozzle. You don’t want to get
those cold germs back the next time you use the spray. This technique
may get a little spray on your face, but you’ll just feel like you dunked
your face in a tiny ocean.
Steam it up with a humidifier. The winter heater may dry out your
home, so keep the humidifier running, especially at night. Rinse it out
daily so that you don’t end up growing a mold farm in the leftover water.
The water condensation on the windows will dry, but feel free to turn off
the humidifier if it looks like it’s raining on the inside of the house. You
may prefer to use a cool-mist humidifier. If so, be sure to use distilled
water as directed by the manufacturer and wash the machine regularly
to keep it clean.
Thin out your mucus. If you suffer from postnasal drip, you probably
have mucus that’s too thick. You can try over-the-counter medications
with guaifenesin (active ingredient in Mucinex and some cough medi-
cines) to help move the mucus. Use the nasal saline solution or other
medications from your doctor to help thin the mucus without drying out
your throat.
Use acetaminophen (active ingredient in Tylenol) instead of ibuprofen
(active ingredient in Advil). Acetaminophen is the only pain medica-
tion that singers can take and still safely sing. Ibuprofen and aspirin
dilate blood vessels and make you more susceptible to bursting a blood
vessel. Keep in mind that your vocal folds are opening and closing
440 times per second if you’re singing the A just above Middle C. The
movement is even faster the higher you go in pitch. Research the pain
medications you currently take and talk to your doctor about your
options.
Protecting a Sore Throat
Here’s a short list of what to do to protect your sore throat so it heals
quickly: stop talking. You may be gregarious and love to talk even when you
have a sore throat. But being quiet and allowing the voice to heal means no
talking, whispering, or mouthing words. When you whisper, your vocal folds
still close. Get a notepad and write out what you need to say, or just text or
e-mail until your voice heals.
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296 Part V: The Part of Tens
Keeping Vour Emotional Life in Check
In case you’re wondering, crying isn’t the best thing for your voice. The ten-
sion and pressure from the emotional release doesn’t exactly make the cords
happy little campers. Even if your life is stressful and hectic, find ways to
release aggression or pent-up emotions regularly so you aren’t holding them
inside. Many singers have walked in the door for lessons and were unable to
sing because of emotional traumas hanging over their heads. Reliable friends
or confidants make good outlets for those emotions. You may also use your
singing as a means of expression. If you find yourself too tight and frustrated
to sing, call a therapist for help so you can keep singing through the good
times and the bad.
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Chapter 24
Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro
In This Chapter
Picking the right accompaniment, clothes, and mic
Looking ’em straight in the eye: Stage presence
K nowing how to behave when you’re singing for an audience is impor-
tant. Whether you’re singing solo at Carnegie Hall; at a talent show in
Tallahassee, Florida; with other performing artists in a local revival of West
Side Story; at a Renaissance festival; or at a wedding ceremony, you want
to make the right impact with your performance. Read these tips for some
answers on the why and how of performing. I start with first things first and
proceed to your last exit off the stage.
Rehearsing to Geat the Band
If you’re a seasoned pro and you’ve been practicing on your own, you may
not need to sing the music with an accompanist. However, I recommend at
least one dress rehearsal and several more practice rehearsals before a per-
formance. At the first couple of rehearsals, you can sing while reading from
the music. For the last rehearsal and the dress rehearsal, sing the music from
memory. Under pressure, it’s shocking how quickly the words leave your
short-term memory. By rehearsing the song from memory, you get even more
opportunities to test your wonderful technique while using your acting skills.
At the dress rehearsal, you also want to practice walking onstage before your
song so you know how winded you are after climbing up the stairs for your
entrance, walking around the stage, or down a long hallway.
You can rehearse alone or with an accompanist, coach, or voice teacher.
(See Chapter 15 for the differences among these types of teachers.) At your
rehearsal, record yourself. Listen to the recording a couple of times to get
used to the sound of your voice in the different hall. If you put your recorder
in the audience while you sing on the stage, your recording will sound far-
ther away — that’s the sound your audience will hear. You can also use your
video recorder. If you decide to videotape the rehearsal, you need to view
the tape several times to get used to watching yourself. You may want to
298 Part V: The Part of Tens
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experiment with this at home instead of trying it for the first time at the dress
rehearsal. The night before is too late to change much. Record yourself ear-
lier in the process so you can make adjustments. When you watch the video,
check your alignment (Chapter 3), gestures (Chapter 18), and your entrance
(described later in this chapter). You can also check out Chapter 10 for more
info on why recording yourself is helpful.
Wearing the Right Ensemble
MBER
et
&
NING,
s
You may not have much choice in what you wear when you perform if you’re
singing in, say, a musical theater production. The director usually decides for
you, and costumes are made to fit. But if you’re a soloist at a wedding or you
just got a gig as a lead singer in a local jazz band, the outfit you wear for the
performance can make or break your evening. Consider whether your ensem-
ble may distract either you or your audience. Noisy jewelry may look really
cool with your new outfit, but if you can hear it when you move, leave it at
home. Likewise, platform shoes may be in, but maybe you can’t feel a forward
flow of energy when you wear them. Spike heels are also tricky, because you
may have a long walk across the stage or up to the choir loft.
When you practice, wear the outfit and shoes that you plan to wear for the
performance. If you can’t move your arms or can’t breathe well while wearing
a certain item, choose something else. Remember, moving your body enough
to breathe is important when singing. Some items that may make it harder to
breathe include snug gowns, pantyhose, cummerbunds, and bowties. If your
performance attire is formal, the length of the gown or tails on the tux may
require that you practice sitting down in the outfit. Gracefully moving the tails
aside or adjusting your taffeta takes some practice.
Short skirts may look sexy, but if the stage is much higher than the audi-
ence is, the audience may also get a glimpse of your undies. Unless you want
someone to look up that sexy skirt, save that outfit for the after-concert
party. The same is true for clingy materials that may show every little blem-
ish under bright lights and every little drop of sweat when the big moment
arrives.
Take the noisy or bulky items out of your pockets before a performance, and
remove watches and glasses. Wearing reading glasses in a solo concert per-
formance isn’t customary. Talk to your director about your options — a large
print edition of the music is one option.
If you’re performing in a concert or musical production that involves others,
such as a chorale, musical drama, church choir, or local rock band, don’t use
perfume, cologne, or personal products that give off a fragrant odor. The smell
of perfume causes some singers to have allergic reactions, such as sneezing,
watery eyes, and itchy throats. Unless you’re trying to sabotage the other
singers, arrive fragrance free for the concert.
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Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro 299
Finding Vour Stance
When you know where to stand, practice walking into place. This may sound
silly, but knowing how to walk across the stage and land in place isn’t as easy
as it sounds. Looking like a pro takes a bit of thought and practice. Even if
you can’t practice on the stage, choose a designated landing spot and prac-
tice walking across the room to find your position. You want to stop in place
but also find your posture as you stop. Find your alignment (see Chapter 3),
walk across the room, and maintain that posture. To land in place means to
arrive at your spot facing the direction you need to be singing with your feet
parallel and under your hips. With a band, you may choose to land in a more
casual stance so your feet are flexible and ready to groove. Observe other
seasoned performers to notice how they enter the stage and land in place
ready to sing.
Singing with a Piano, Organ, or Band
NING,
RY
Singing with an organ is different from singing with a piano. The pipes that
create the sound often aren’t near the organ console, whereas the sound
from the piano comes out the back of the instrument. An organ may be
harder to hear, depending on the stops the organist is using. After singing
with an organ a few times, you get used to the difference in the sound. Just
expect to listen more carefully, and you won’t be surprised.
Singing with a band can also be a bit confusing the first time. If the speakers
are pointed away from you — and they usually are — you may have trouble
hearing yourself. Ask whether it’s possible to have a speaker or a monitor
turned toward you. Remember that bands often play pretty loudly, and turn-
ing the speaker toward yourself will unleash a huge wall of sound coming at
you. Monitors are a great help if the volume is just right. Talk with the sound
engineer if you can’t hear yourself in the monitor. If a specific instrument
plays your melody line, you may have to get used to picking out that sound
from all the other instruments.
Singing with electronic amplification is very different from singing with a piano
or single instrument. You may be tempted to push to make big sounds when
your voice is amplified. Trust the feeling you normally have when you're prac-
ticing. You can use your ears, but you also need to use your sense of feeling
to know whether you’re pushing. You get really tired when you push and may
not realize until later. The sound engineer adjusts the sound in the house —
your job is to sing your best based on how it feels and let him adjust the
sound for the audience.
Sometimes instrumentalists in the band add solos as they play. Ask the
bandleader how you know when it’s time to come back in. You can also ask
one of the band members to nod to you when it’s time for you to come in
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300 Part V: The Part of Tens
if the instrumentalists start adding extra measures. It’s a good idea to take
along your recorder to the rehearsal so you can record it. If you get only one
shot at rehearsing with the band, you can always review your recording to
get used to the timing.
Making Vour Entrance
Ro As you enter the stage from a doorway or wing, look at the audience and
& smile. You appear far more confident if you look straight at your audience as
you walk across the stage. Practicing this is important. Your smile needs to
look genuine even if you’re nervous and don’t want to be onstage. When you
reach your position on the stage, pause in place to bow. Other performing
venues may require you to be a bit more subdued. Singing for a church ser-
vice, for example, requires a different approach than singing at a pop concert.
For a church service, you may not get applause as you stand up to sing. It
doesn’t mean that the audience doesn’t like you: Their focus is on your mes-
sage in your performance instead of on the performance itself.
Before you make your entrance, be mentally prepared. You want your energy
level to be up so you can pace your entrance just right. If you’re dreading
your entrance, you may walk slowly and appear petrified to sing. Even if
you’re nervous, make your entrance with confidence. You don’t have to run,
but walk at a pace that shows you’re eager to perform.
Roping in Vour Audience
When singing in a concert, knowing whether to acknowledge your audience
or stick to your own little world is tricky. You can’t always sing intimate
songs in an intimate locale, but you can imagine being in an intimate locale
by creating a fourth wall in your mind: Pretend to be in a room alone, with a
wall in front of the audience. If your song addresses a group, make the audi-
ence part of your story within the time period of the song.
To get a feel for whether to include the audience as part of your song, watch
the seasoned pros. The casual atmosphere at a pop concert is different from
the more formal atmosphere of a classical performance. Know your audience
and behave appropriately. When in doubt, watch the singers who perform
before you. Waving to your sister may be just fine at the children’s concert
in the park, but it isn’t okay when you're singing with the symphony in a big
concert hall. When in Rome...
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Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro 30 ]
Televised performances may or may not have an audience. If you have an
audience, you can communicate with them and let the cameras adjust to
you. Otherwise, you have to pretend the camera is your audience. The direc-
tor will tell you which camera is recording and tell you when to adjust your
focus. It’s tricky to sing well, tell your story, communicate with your imagi-
nary audience, and move on cue to the next camera angle.
Ignoring That Mosquito
In anormal concert, people cough, enter late, or leave right in the middle
of your song. People in the audience don’t think about how it distracts the
performer. When you practice at home, you may want to intentionally stage
some distractions. Ask a friend to drop a book or walk into the room as
you're singing, so you can practice concentrating even while they’re bopping
around. What may distract you at the performance?
Lights: You want the light to be on your face so the audience can see
you. That may seem blinding, but it also prevents you from seeing the
audience, which is good. If you’re nervous, pretend that no one is out
there. Or visualize all the happy faces looking at you, delighted to see
you. When you see the stage, mark the spot where the light is best on
your face. After all, you got all dressed up for the show — you want
the audience to see you. If you’re too far forward or back, the light may
miss you entirely and the audience won’t see your face for the shadows.
You also want to practice walking into the light so you can make it look
natural that you’re suddenly brilliantly illuminated. Otherwise, you may
be looking up to find the best light as the audience is waiting for you to
sing. Ask a friend to come to the rehearsal to check the lighting for you.
Flashing photos: You can ask your friends and family not to distract you
by taking photos, but you may not be able to control the entire audi-
ence. If someone does start taking photos in the middle of your song, try
to focus on an object in front of you so you aren’t looking right into the
flashing light. Blinking lights from camcorders can also be mesmerizing
or maddening. Television cameras have a red light to indicate recording
and the cameras may move around a lot to get different angles.
Other performers: In the wings, you may see many people milling
around waiting for their entrance. Focus on your task and ignore them.
In a smaller cast, you can ask them to not move around the sides while
you sing, but you may just have to figure out how to ignore them if they
forget or if you’re in a large production with a lot of stage crew.
302 Part V: The Part of Tens
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Handling Those Hands
NING,
RY
Keeping your hands at your sides is safest. It may not be the most interest-
ing place for them, but you won’t go too wrong by erring on the side of calm
and still. If you choose to gesture, make it a complete gesture and make sure
that your elbows move out, away from your body. You may look like you’re
flipping burgers if you move just your hands and not your arms. Of course, if
you’re using a hand-held microphone, your gestures need to accommodate it.
(See the “Using the Mic” section, coming up next in this chapter.)
Another option for your hands is to clasp them in front of you. Clasping your
hands at your waistline is cool, but wringing your hands isn’t. Being nervous
at a performance is okay, but try not to show it. Don’t let ’em see you sweat,
as they say. Pretend that performing is the easiest thing in the world. Your
hands can also rest on the piano, if it’s near enough to you and if the lid is
closed. If the lid is open on a baby grand or grand piano, don’t put your hand
on the lid or inside the lid: It makes your audience nervous to see your hand
right where the lid may fall. You can also check out Chapter 18 for some sug-
gestions on gesturing.
You don’t want to put your hands behind you and wiggle them or clasp them
right in front of your zipper. Little kids usually put their hands at their zipper
when they have to go to the bathroom, so you don’t want your audience to
make that assumption. Little kids also put their hands behind them to pick
their seat before the show.
Using the Mic
Microphones (mics, for short; pronounced like the name Mike) can be
secured on a stand, held by hand, set on the floor, or hooked onto your
body. Knowing how to handle this bundle of electronic wizardry takes a little
practice. Ask if you can practice with the mic before the instruments start
playing. That way, you can hear the difference between too close and too
far. Consider the following list of microphones and how you’re going to work
with the particular type you'll be using:
Body mic: You may have seen body microphones on TV: A microphone
cord goes through your clothing, and you wear a small box under your
clothes or on your belt. If you don’t get a chance to use one before the
show, just visualize the sensation of having the box attached to you so
that you aren’t shocked to feel something hanging on your back.
Floor level: If the microphones are on the floor, the audience is going
to hear the sound of you walking across the stage. You want to practice
walking in your performance shoes to know how much noise you make
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Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Performing Like a Pro 303
as you enter the stage. You may be tempted to tighten your legs or toes
so you don’t make so much sound. Instead, try walking without pushing
down into the floor; connect with the floor but don’t push your feet into
the floor. This allows you to walk with ease and without too much noise.
Hand-held: If you’re using a hand-held mic, hold it far enough away from
your mouth that you don’t touch it with your lips, but close enough that
the sound of your voice reaches the microphone. Consider these rules
for mic use:
e Don’t blow into the mic or tap on it to determine whether it’s on.
Instead, speak into it. Blowing into the mic or tapping on it may
damage the internal parts.
e Place your hand on the mic but away from the head. Performers
like to cup the mic. Placing your hand around the head of the mic
totally changes the way your voice is amplified. Note the sound
of your voice in the mic when you put your hand on the head and
cover part of the head, and then compare the sound when you
don’t. You can talk to the sound engineer about the differences in
the sound and what you need for your performance. You may have
to explain that you want to cup the mic and that you need help to
get the sound amplified to the audience.
Stationary: If your mic is on a stand, you can move around to adjust
the sound. Check out the stand before the concert. The height of most
microphone stands is adjustable. Look at the middle of the stand, and
you'll probably see a ring that you can twist to adjust the height. If you
have to turn on the microphone, practice walking to the stand and find-
ing the button so that you feel confident you can turn it on with your
hands shaking. It’s okay if your hands shake. You just have to know that
it’s going to happen and adjust your movements to feel confident.
If you don’t sing with a microphone, use your knowledge of resonance from
Chapter 7 to help your voice carry over the instruments.
Taking Vour Bow and Leaving the Stage
The manner in which you take your bow depends on the concert. If you’re a
famous diva, you may curtsy, but I think it’s better to wait on that until you
arrive at one of the big opera houses. Until then, use the tried-and-true stan-
dard bow: Bend from the waist and bow your head to the audience.
After you find your spot on the stage, stop in place (with your feet close
together) and lean forward from the waist. You want your head down,
looking at the floor momentarily. Otherwise, it looks like you’re looking
up to make sure that everyone is clapping. Remember that you have
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304 Part V: The Part of Tens
to lean forward in your performance attire. If that’s a gown or tuxedo,
make sure that it isn’t so tight that you can’t bend over at all or without
revealing too much cleavage when you bow.
Your hands can be along the sides of your legs or clasped in front. Allow
your hands to slide down your leg as you bend over. Remember not to
put your hands in front of your zipper if you choose to clasp them.
1# Slowly count to two and raise your torso again. After you bow, acknowl-
edge your accompanist. If the piece was a huge ensemble number, you
may bow with your accompanist. You want to make that decision in
advance and plan who bows when and after whom. Some people like to
turn and extend their arm to acknowledge the accompanist. If the pianist
isn’t leaving the stage with you, that’s appropriate. But if you’re a team,
plan bows separately and then together.
Exiting the stage is also an art. When you finish singing and take your bow,
head toward the exit. Look at your audience again and smile as you exit the
stage. If the audience just loved what they heard, they may continue clapping,
so you can take another bow. Wait for the peak of the applause and then go
back onto the stage. If you had an accompanist playing for you, ask the accom-
panist to bow with you again or bow with you at the next curtain call.
Depending on the situation, you may want to prepare an encore. How will you
know when to sing the encore? Finish your last number, hear the applause,
and exit the stage; return to the stage for your bow and exit the stage again;
and return to the stage and sing the encore, or return for another bow and
then come back out to sing the encore. An encore is appropriate for a recital
where you are the main attraction or for a performance with a group such as
a band or symphony. When you do more performing, you'll figure out when
an encore is appropriate and what to prepare for the encore.
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Part VI
Appendixes
The 5th Wave By Rich Tennant
Okay, this time
try not to
take such a
deep breath.
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In this part...
A helpful list arranges songs according to voice type. I
also tell you whether the song is upbeat or slow
before you even hear it. Singing songs for fun may not
challenge your technique. This list of well-known songs is
not only fun to sing but also helps you polish your
technique.
You can also find out more about how you can use the
super CD that comes with this book. Various singers
recorded the exercises that you see next to the CD icon
throughout the book; you can hear them demonstrate the
sounds for you and then sing along yourself. Some of the
sounds and ideas in the book may be new to you, and it’s
helpful to hear someone making the correct sounds for you.
NING
RY
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Appendix A
Suggested Songs to Advance
Your Singing Technique
] his list of suggested songs is designed to advance your singing tech-
nique. As you practice the exercises and techniques in the book, you can
use this list of songs to apply your new skills.
A beginner song is one with easy rhythms, narrow range, and melody that
often moves in stepwise motion with the piano accompaniment at a comfort-
able tempo.
An intermediate song has more difficult rhythm, wider range, and melody
that skips in larger intervals. It’s somewhat independent of the piano accom-
paniment and moves at a faster pace.
Belt songs are typically much more difficult because of technique demands,
big stories to tell, and difficult music. Work with the exercises in Chapter 13
until you feel confident that your belt is healthy.
The classical songs show a label of slow, medium, or fast. The musical theater
songs are marked as a ballad or an up-tempo.
Classical: Ten Songs for Soprano
Five beginner songs for soprano:
“Evening Prayer,” from Hänsel und Gretal, by Engelbert Humperdinck
(slow)
1# “Sandmännchen” (The Little Sandman), by Johannes Brahms (slow)
1# “My Mother Bids Me Bind My Hair,” by Joseph Haydn (medium)
“Clair de Lune” (Moonlight), by Camille Saint-Saéns (medium)
“The Lass from the Low Countree,” by John Jacob Niles (medium)
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308 Part VI: Appendixes
Five intermediate songs for soprano:
“Auf ein altes Bild” (To an Old Picture), by Hugo Wolf (slow)
“A Kiss in the Dark,” by Victor Herbert (medium)
“La Procession” (The Procession), by César Franck (slow)
“Nina,” by Giovanni Pergolesi (medium)
“Con amores, la mi madre” (With Love, O My Mother), by Juan de
Anchieta and Fernando J. Obradors (medium)
Classical: Ten Songs for Mezzo
Five beginner songs for mezzo:
“The Ash Grove,” folksong (medium)
“Heidenréslein” (Hedge-roses), by Franz Schubert (medium)
“Spring Sorrow,” by John Ireland (medium)
“Lied der Braut” (Song of the Betrothed), by Robert Schumann (slow)
1# “Lasciatemi morire!” (Let Death Now Come), by Claudio Monteverdi (slow)
Five intermediate songs for mezzo:
1# “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” spiritual (medium)
“If Music Be the Food of Love,” by Henry Purcell (medium)
“Aimons-nous” (Let Us Love Each Other), by Camille Saint-Saëns
(medium)
“El tra la la y el punteado” (The Tra La La and the Guitar-Strum), by
Enrique Granados (fast)
“Liebst du um Schönheit” (If You Love for Beauty), by Gustav Mahler (slow)
Classical: Ten Songs for Tenor
Five beginner songs for tenor
1# “Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling” (Longing for Spring), by Wolfgang
Mozart (fast)
“The Gypsy Rover,” traditional Irish ballad (medium)
1# “Volkslied” (At Parting), by Felix Mendelssohn (slow)
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Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique 309
“Gia il sole dal Gange” (The Sun O’er the Ganges), by Alessandro
Scarlatti (fast)
1# “Amarilli, mia bella” (Amarilli, My Fair One), by Guilio Caccini (slow)
Five intermediate songs for tenor
1# “Psyché,” by Emile Paladilhe (medium)
1# ‘TIl Sail upon the Dog Star,” by Henry Purcell (fast)
“Vittoria, mio core!” (Victorious My Heart), by Giacomo Carissimi (fast)
1# “Ich liebe dich” (I Love Thee), by Edvard Grieg (slow)
1# “Selve, voi, che le speranze” (Forest, Thy Green Arbors), by Salvator
Rosa (slow)
Classical: Ten Songs for Baritone or Bass
Five beginner songs for baritone or bass
“Red River Valley,” by Celius Dougherty (medium)
“Fur music” (For Music), by Robert Franz (medium)
“The Water Is Wide,” English folksong (medium)
“Silent Noon,” by Ralph Vaughn Williams (slow)
“Virgin, tutta amor” (Virgin, Full of Grace), by Francesco Durante (slow)
Five intermediate songs for baritone or bass
“Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal,” by Roger Quilter (medium)
“The Roadside Fire,” by Ralph Vaughn Williams (medium)
“Kein Halmlein wachst auf Erden” (Soft Dews from Heaven Falling), by
W. F. Bach (slow)
“Madrigal,” by Vincent D’Indy (medium)
“What Shall I Do,” by Henry Purcell (medium)
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Soprano
Five beginner songs for soprano
“Goodnight My Someone,” from The Music Man, by Meredith Willson
(ballad)
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3 10 Part VI: Appendixes
“Getting to Know You,” from The King and I, by Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein (ballad)
1# “Wouldn't It Be Loverly,” from My Fair Lady, by Alan Jay Lerner and
Frederick Loewe (up-tempo)
“So Many People,” from Saturday Night, by Stephen Sondheim (ballad)
“Something Good,” from The Sound of Music, by Richard Rodgers
(ballad)
Five intermediate songs for soprano
“Lovely,” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, by
Stephen Sondheim (ballad)
“Never Never Land,” from Peter Pan, by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
(ballad)
“A Lovely Night,” from Cinderella, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein (up-tempo)
“Home,” from Phantom, by Maury Yeston (ballad)
“It Wonders Me,” from Plain and Fancy, by Arnold Horwitt and Albert
Hague (ballad)
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Mezzo
Five beginner songs for mezzo
1# “Tm Old Fashioned,” by Johnny Mercer and Jerome Kern (ballad)
1# “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” by Irving Berlin (up-tempo)
“Anywhere I Wander,” by Frank Loesser (ballad)
1# “Feed the Birds,” from Mary Poppins, by Robert Sherman (ballad)
“Give My Regards to Broadway,” by George Cohan (up-tempo)
Five intermediate songs for mezzo
“The Party’s Over,” from Bells Are Ringing, by Betty Comden, Adolph
Green, and Jule Styne (ballad)
“If He Really Knew Me,” from They’re Playing Our Song, by Carole Bayer
Sager and Marvin Hamlisch (ballad)
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Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique 3 ] ]
“T’d Be Surprisingly Good for You,” from Evita, by Tim Rice and Andrew
Lloyd Webber (up-tempo)
“A Cockeyed Optimist,” from South Pacific, by Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein (up-tempo)
“There’s a Fine, Fine Line,” from Avenue Q, by Robert Lopez and Jeff
Marz (ballad)
Musical Theater: Ten Belt
Songs for Women
Five belt songs for soprano
1# “Gimme Gimme,” from Thoroughly Modern Millie, by Jeanine Tesori and
Dick Scanlan (up-tempo)
“Wherever He Ain’t,” from Mack and Mabel, by Jerry Herman
(up-tempo)
1# “There’s No Man Left for Me,” from Will Rogers Follies, by Cy Colman,
Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (up-tempo)
“Waiting for Life,” from Once On This Island, by Lynn Ahrens and
Stephen Flaherty (up-tempo)
“On the Other Side of the Tracks,” from Little Me, by Cy Coleman and
Carolyn Leigh (up-tempo)
Five belt songs for mezzo
“West End Avenue,” from The Magic Show, by Stephen Schwartz
(up-tempo)
1# “Tm Going Back,” from Bells Are Ringing, by Betty Comden, Adolph
Green, and Jule Styne (ballad)
1# “Maybe This Time,” from Cabaret, by Fred Ebb and John Kander
(ballad)
“Honey Bun,” from South Pacific, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein (up-tempo)
1# “I Resolve,” from She Loves Me, by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
(up-tempo)
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3 12 Part VI: Appendixes
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Tenor
Five beginner songs for tenor
1# “Anywhere I Wander,” from Hans Christian Anderson, by Frank Loesser
(ballad)
1# “Tve Got My Eyes on You,” from Broadway Medley of 1940, by Cole
Porter (ballad)
“Long Ago,” from Cover Girl, by Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern (ballad)
yw “Til Him,” from The Producers, by Mel Brooks (ballad)
1# “Young and Foolish,” from Plain and Fancy, by Arnold Horwitt and Albert
Hogue (ballad)
Five intermediate songs for tenor
“Old Devil Moon,” from Finian’s Rainbow, by E. Y. Harburg and Burton
Lane (up-tempo)
“Stranger in Paradise,” from Kismet, by Robert Wright and George
Forrest (ballad)
1# “A Wonderful Day Like Today,” from The Roar of the Greasepaint — The
Smell of the Crowd, by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly (up-tempo)
“Geraniums in the Winder,” from Carousel, by Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein (ballad)
“T Believe in You,” from How to Succeed, by Frank Loesser (ballad)
Musical Theater: Ten Songs for Garitenor
Five beginner songs for baritenor
“On the Street Where You Live,” from My Fair Lady, by Alan Jay Lerner
and Frederick Loewe (ballad)
“Waitin’ for the Light to Shine,” from Big River, by Roger Millel (ballad)
“Lonely Room,” from Oklahoma, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein (ballad)
“Les Poisson,” from The Little Mermaid, by Howard Ashman and Alan
Menken (up-tempo)
“There She Is,” from Titanic, by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone (up-tempo)
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Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique 3 13
Five intermediate songs for baritenor
“Soon It’s Gonna Rain,” from The Fantasticks, by Tom Jones and Harvey
Schmidt (ballad)
“When I’m Not Near the Girl,” by E. Y. Harburg and Burton Lane
(up-tempo)
“Santa Fe,” from Newsies, by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman (up-tempo)
1# “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” from the film Easter Parade, by Irving
Berlin (up-tempo)
“Lucky in Love,” from Good News, by B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray
Henderson.
Musical Theater: Ten Belt Songs for Men
Five belt songs for tenor
“Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” from Guys and Dolls, by Frank
Loesser (up-tempo)
“This is the Moment,” from Jekyll and Hyde, by Leslie Bricusse and Frank
Wildhorn (ballad)
“Moving Too Fast,” from The Last Five Years, from Jason Robert Brown
(up-tempo)
“Mama Says,” from Footloose, by Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow
(up-tempo)
“One Song Glory,” from Rent, by Jonathan Larson (up-tempo)
Five belt songs for baritenor
“This Is Not Over Yet,” from Parade, by Jason Robert Brown (up-tempo)
“Stars,” from Les Misérables, by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert
Krutmer, and Alain Boublil (ballad)
“Private Conversation,” from Side Show, by Bill Russell and Henry
Kreiger (ballad)
“What Am I Doin’?” from Closer Than Ever, by Richard Maltby and David
Shire (up-tempo)
“Justice Will Be Done,” from Martin Guerre, by Claude-Michel Schönberg,
Alain Boublil, and Stephen Clark (ballad)
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3 14 Part VI: Appendixes
Country: Ten Songs for Women
“Walkin’ After Midnight,” by Alan Bock and Donn Hecht, as sung by
Patsy Cline
“Redneck Woman,” by John Rich and Gretchen Wilson
“Sweet Dreams,” by Don Gibson, as sung by Patsy Cline
“Ring of Fire,” by June Carter Cash
1# “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” by June Hershey and Don Swander
“This Kiss,” by Beth Nielsen, as sung by Faith Hill
“How Do I Live,” by Diane Warren
“Blue,” by Bill Mack, as sung by LeAnn Rimes
“Backwoods Barbie,” as sung by Dolly Parton
1# “My Valentine,” by Jim Brickman and Jack David Kugell, as sung by
Martina McBride
Country: Ten Songs for Men
“Your Cheatin’ Heart,” by Hank Williams
“I Walk the Line,” by Johnny Cash
1# “The Gambler,” by Don Schlitz, as sung by Kris Kristofferson
“Friends in Low Places,” by Dewayne Blackwell and Bud Lee, as sung by
Garth Brooks
1# “For the Good Times,” by Kris Kristofferson
1# “Who’s Your Daddy?” by Toby Keith
“The Thunder Rolls,” by Pat Alger and Garth Brooks
1# “When Love Fades,” by Chuck Cannon and Toby Keith
“Gettin’ You Home,” by Cory Batten, Kent Blazy, and Chris Young
1# “It Did,” by Brad Paisley
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Appendix A: Suggested Songs to Advance Your Singing Technique 3 15
Pop-Rock: Ten Songs for Women
1# “Downtown,” by Tony Hatch, as sung by Petula Clark
“It’s Too Late,” by Toni Stern, as sung by Carole King
“Somewhere out There,” by James Horner, Barry Mann, and Cynthia
Weil, as sung by Linda Ronstad and James Ingram
1# “Where the Boys Are,” by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka, as sung
by Connie Francis
1# “My Heart Will Go On,” by James Horner and Will Jennings, as sung by
Celine Dion
1# “Do You Know Where You're Going To?” by Gerry Goffin and Mike Masser
“When I Fall in Love,” by Edward Heyman and Victor Young
“Band of Gold,” by Ronald Dunbar and Edith Wayne
“Walk On By,” by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, as sung by Dionne Warwick
“River Deep, Mountain High,” by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil
Spector, as sung by Ike and Tina Turner
Pop-Rock: Ten Songs for Men
“Georgia on My Mind,” by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael
1# “My Cherie Amour,” by Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy, and Jenry Cosby
1# “My Girl,” by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White
“Hurt So Good,” by John Mellancamp and Georg Green
“Good Night,” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
1# “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” by George Michael
1# “Shot Through the Heart,” by Bon Jovi
“Desperado,” by Don Henley and Glen Frey, as sung by Eagles
1# “She’s Got a Way,” by Billy Joel
“Bridge over Troubled Water,” by Simon and Garfunkel
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3 16 Part VI: Appendixes
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Appendix B
About the CD
In This Appendix
Determining the system requirements
Finding the track listings
Troubleshooting any problems
MBER
KO
&
ar
A ll the musical examples included in Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition,
are recorded on the CD that comes with this book. On the CD, you can
find 63 exercises to improve your singing. In the chapters, next to the “On the
CD” icon, you can find an explanation and helpful instructions for each of the
tracks on the CD.
No singing experience is necessary to enjoy this book or the CD. Just follow
the suggestions in the chapters to make consistent progress with your singing
technique.
Be sure to keep the CD with the book. The suggestions and instructions in the
chapters add helpful information to go with your listening pleasure as you
sing along. The plastic envelope protects the CD surface to keep it in tip-top
shape. Finding the CD in the book is also easier than hunting through your CD
collection each time you want to listen to the exercises.
System Requirements
Note that this is an audio-only CD — just pop it into your CD player (or
whatever you use to listen to music CDs). Use the CD as a cool tool to sing
with at home, in your car, or wherever you find space to practice.
If you're listening to the CD on your computer, make sure that your computer
meets the minimum system requirements shown in the following list. If your
computer doesn’t meet most of these requirements, you may have problems
using the CD.
3 18 Part VI: Appendixes
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APC with a Pentium or faster processor, or a Mac OS computer with a
68040 or faster processor.
Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Mac OS system software 7.6.1 or later.
At least 32MB of total RAM installed on your computer. For best
performance, I recommend at least 64MB.
1# A CD-ROM drive.
1# A sound card for PCs. Mac OS computers have built-in sound support.
“ Media Player, such as Windows Media Player or Real Player.
If you need more information on the basics, check out these books published
by Wiley:
PCs For Dummies, by Dan Gookin
PCs All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, by Mark L. Chambers
1# Macs For Dummies, by David Pogue
The Flat-Screen iMac For Dummies, by David Pogue
1# The iMac For Dummies Quick Reference, by Jennifer Watson
Mac OS X For Dummies, by Bob LeVitus
1# Windows 95 For Dummies, Windows 98 For Dummies, Windows 2000
Professional For Dummies, Windows XP For Dummies, or Microsoft
Windows ME Millennium Edition For Dummies, all by Andy Rathbone
4% Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, by Woody Leonhard
Track Listings
Each track begins with the piano playing the melody or musical pattern you
see printed on the page. After the piano plays the pattern, you hear a singer
demonstrate the sounds of the pattern. The first time through, listen to the
singer; then sing by yourself during the following repetitions of the pattern.
Each pattern is repeated several times in several different keys, so you can
practice extending your range. The CD features both male and female singers.
Feel free to sing along with any of the tracks. If the demonstration is a male
voice, look at the text in the chapter that corresponds with that track for tips
on how to make the pattern work for a female voice.
If some of the patterns are too high for you, read the text in the corresponding
chapter for help on getting your voice ready for the higher notes or other
technical skills being addressed. You can also find suggestions on singing the
pattern lower until you’re ready for the higher notes.
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Appendix B: About thecD 399
As you listen to the CD, you may notice that the patterns gradually get
harder. You don’t have to sing every track today. You can work on the first
few tracks until you’re comfortable applying all the suggestions in the text.
When you're really cooking, move on to the next group of exercises. You can
also check out Chapter 10 for help designing a practice routine. Skipping
some of the information you already know is always an option. If you’re an
advanced singer with some experience, you may want to skip to some of the
harder patterns in the latter chapters. Go for it! If you find yourself struggling
with some of the later patterns, back up and work on some of the earlier
patterns a little longer. The CD is designed to keep you singing and practicing
for quite some time.
After inserting the CD, you can use the track skip control button on your CD
player to move between tracks. The cue/review function is also a fast-forward
or rewind feature, which allows you to fast-forward through a specific track
to get to just the right repetition of the patterns. The chart in this chapter
gives you the exact timing of each track.
MBER Following is a list of tracks on the CD, along with the timing of each track and
figure number within the chapter. A figure number has two numbers; the first
is the chapter number, which helps you locate the chapter that corresponds
with the track. (The second number, if you’re curious, indicates the order of
the figures within the chapter.) Some of the tracks don’t have a musical example
printed in the chapter. On these tracks, singers demonstrate specific skills
that you can work within that chapter.
Track (Time) Figure Number Pattern Description
1 1:31 N/A Introduction to Singing For Dummies,
2nd Edition
2 1:13 4-1 Lip and tongue trills
3 0:38 N/A Sliding on pitch (Chapter 5)
4 1:34 5-1 Bouncing the tongue and jaw
5 1:06 6-1 Creating a legato line
6 1:02 6-2 Trilling a long, legato line
7 1:30 6-3 Managing long phrases
8 0:41 N/A Straight tone and vibrato (Chapter 6)
9 1:18 8-2 Alternating vowels for precise lip shapes
10 1:06 8-4 Arching the tongue while alternating
vowels
11 1:43 9-1 Singing tip consonants
12 1:30 9-2 Singing soft palate consonants
13 1:24 9-3 Singing lip consonants
(continued)
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320 Part VI: Appendixes
Track (Time) Figure Number Pattern Description
14 1:00 9-4 Combining your consonants
15 1:09 11-3 Taking it down
16 1:43 11-4 Descending by step
17 1:16 11-5 Gliding through the middle
18 0:55 11-6 Moving along the four in middle voice
19 1:18 11-9 Singing fourth
20 1:10 11-10 Bringing up chest voice
21 1:17 11-13 Working with closed vowels
22 1:06 11-14 Spinning out in head voice
23 0:17 N/A Demonstration of falsetto (Chapter 11)
24 0:50 11-15 Checking out your falsetto
25 0:51 11-16 Flipping out of falsetto
26 1:02 11-17 Gliding down out of falsetto
27 1:14 11-18 Sliding up to falsetto
28 1:23 11-19 Smoothing the transitions
29 1:28 11-20 Creating a legato line in and out of chest
voice
30 1:22 11-21 Working from middle voice up to head
voice
31 0:56 11-22 Spinning down
32 1:03 11-23 Sliding into a mix
33 1:29 11-24 Mixing it up
34 1:36 11-25 Alternating between chest and head
dominated mix
35 1:24 12-1 Skipping around on staccato
36 1:18 12-2 Messa di voce
37 2:27 12-3 Descending
38 1:15 12-4 Stepping between registers
39 1:04 12-5 Flexing on five notes
40 1:16 12-6 Sliding up the scale
41 0:56 12-7 Tripping along the scale
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Appendix B: About thecD 327
Track (Time) Figure Number Pattern Description
42 1:13 12-8 Spicing it up with syncopation
43 1:46 12-9 Bouncing on thirds
44 0:42 12-10 Checking out pop riffs
45 0:38 12-11 Descending pop riff
46 1:43 N/A Improvising with chords on the piano
(Chapter 12)
47 0:59 N/A Improvising with a pop tune (Chapter 12)
48 0:49 N/A Improvising by yourself on a pop tune
(Chapter 12)
49 0:53 N/A Speaking up the scale: Give That Back!
(Chapter 13)
50 0:21 N/A Demonstration of chest voice and belt
(Chapter 13)
51 0:15 N/A Male belting demonstration (Chapter 13)
52 0:58 N/A Speaking in a mix: | Wanna Know!
(Chapter 13)
53 0:26 N/A High-energy speaking sounds (Chapter 13)
54 0:29 N/A Three types of resonance: Back, middle,
and front (Chapter 13)
55 0:39 N/A Nya (Chapter 13)
56 0:55 13-1 Belt tune: “That Ain’t It Man”
57 035 13-2 Belting Up the Scale: Not Now
58 0:35 N/A Belt tune: “Take Shelter, l'm a Belter”
(Chapter 13)
59 1:06 13-3 Sustaining belt sounds: That's mine!
That's mine!
60 0:39 N/A Belt tune: “Let's Celebrate” (Chapter 13)
61 1:13 17-1 Speaking through the rhythms of “Simple
Things” (Chapter 17)
62 1:18 17-1 Singing the melody of “Simple Things”
onah
63 2:27 17-1 “Simple Things,” by Martha Sullivan © 2003
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322 Part VI: Appendixes
Troubleshooting
If you have trouble with the CD, please call the Wiley Product Technical
Support phone number at 800-762-2974. Outside the United States, call
317-572-3994. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at
www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley will provide technical support only
for installation and other general quality control items. For technical support
on the applications themselves, consult the program’s vendor or author.
To place additional orders or to request information about other Wiley
products, please call 877-762-2974.
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Index
eAe
a capella, 264
abdominal muscle
coordinating breath with tone, 75
innie breathing method, 41
releasing for inhalation, 46-47, 54-55
abuse, vocal, 289-290
accidentals, 270
accompanist
audition, 270-271, 274-275
versus coach, 284-285
greeting the, 274-275
guitar, 270
learning new songs, 237
piano, 270
rehearsing with, 270-271
taking the lead, 271
versus vocal teacher, 284-285
acetaminophen, 295
acting the song
auditions, 275
character, getting into, 241-244
choreographed moves, 247
foreign language, translating song in, 247
gesturing, 246-247
getting physical, 244-248
interludes, accounting for, 241
moving and grooving, 248
musical responses, 240-241
storytelling, 216, 239-241
where to focus, 245
Adam, Adolphe, 218
Adam’s apple, 62
Adkins, Trace, 26
adrenaline, 250
advanced singing, 288
advanced songs, 213
Advil, 295
age, 18
agent, audition, 276
agility
moving along the scale, 158-159
nine-tone scale, 159
skipping through intervals, 160-161
aging, 195
Aguilera, Christina, 22
alcohol
health issues, 286-287
vocal abuse, 289
Allen, Gracie, 85
allergen, 290
alto, 23
alveolar ridge, 105
“Amazing Grace” (song), 235-236
Amazon, 219
American Idol, 234
amplification, 299
Anderson, Marian, 21, 23
Andrews, Julie, 22
Annie, 261
antihistamine, 294
anxiety. See performance anxiety
appoggio, 43, 54
aria, 244, 247, 260
arm tension, 35
arrangement
accompanist, 237
articulation, 235
dynamics, 235
musical elements to create, 233-237
song comparison, 234-235
song style, 236-237
vocal variety, 236
Arthur, Bea, 23
articulation, 235
ascending into falsetto, 142-143
audience
acknowledging, 300-301
performance anxiety, 15
audition
accompanist, 270-271, 274-275
acting the song, 275
advice, 259
agent, 276
attendees, 274
for band, 261-262
being typed, 261
casting panel, 261
32 4 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
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audition (continued)
in clubs, 261-262
confidence, 262
headshot, 273
keeping track of, 270
key selection, 267-268
lyrics, connecting with, 264-265
marking the music, 269
mental preparation, 276
microphone, 273
music preparation, 266-267
musical theater, 261, 264
nailing the, 272-276
notebook of songs, 266-267, 272
opera, 260
overview, 15
photographs, 273
with radio song, 264
recording, 271-272
resume, 272
song selection, 263-266
speaking voice preparation, 273
television, 262
versatility, showing, 263-264
wardrobe, 262, 273
wrong song, avoiding, 265-266
o Bo
back, inhalation exercise, 43—44
back phrasing, 188
back space
defined, 61
versus front space, 62
register transition tactics, 154
for space and breath to work together,
74-75
back vowels, 94-97
Backstage trade paper, 266
Bailey, Pearl, 23
Ballard, Kaye, 23
band
audition, 261-262
singing with, 299-300
bar (measure), 268
bar line, 223, 268
baritenor
musical theater songs, 312-313
subdivisions, 24
baritone
beginner classical songs, 309
intermediate classical songs, 309
subdivisions, 25
Bartoli, Cecilia, 21
bass
beginner classical songs, 309
common performance roles, 26
determining your voice type, 10
intermediate classical songs, 309
singers, 26
bass clef, 10
Battle, Kathleen, 21
beginner
belting, 173
classical baritone or bass songs, 309
classical mezzo songs, 308
classical soprano songs, 307-308
classical tenor songs, 308-309
musical theater mezzo songs, 310
musical theater soprano songs, 309-310
songs, 212
Behrens, Hildegard, 21
bel canto technique, 191, 286
bell register, 151
belting
beginner, 173
breath and energy, coordinating, 175
cautions for, 172, 283
versus chest voice, 135, 172-174
combining resonance and registration
for, 178-180
defined, 14, 165
described, 171-172, 180-181
gender differences, 173-174
men, 173-174, 183
mezzo belter, 23
mix belt, 174
musical theater songs for men, 313
musical theater songs for women, 311
preparing for, 175-176
raised larynx for, 62
range, 179
resonance, feeling, 178
songs, 184-185
soprano belter, 22
sustaining belt sounds, 181
vowels, 182-183
women, 173, 184
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Index 325
“Ben” (song), 143
Berry, Chuck, 183
beverage, 287
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” (song), 143
“Billie Jean” (song), 143
Black, Clint, 188
Blackwell, Harolyn, 21
Blake, Rockwell, 21
“Blue Christmas” (song), 281
“Blue Moon” (song), 234
bobbing your head, 139
body coordination, 58
body energy, 170-171
body microphone, 302
body size, 58
Bonney, Barbara, 21
Borodina, Olga, 21, 191
bowing, 303-304
Brando, Marlon, 85
Breaking into Acting For Dummies (Garrison
and Wang), 276
breath control
learning new songs, 230-232
sustaining tone, 79
“Breathe” (song), 280
breathing. See also exhalation; inhalation
basics, 39-42
catching your breath, 232
coordinating with tone, 75-76
gasp, 48, 232
heavy, 230-231
importance of proper, 12
innie method, 41
jargon, 43
outie method, 41, 54
overbreathing, 47
posture while, 42
quick breath, 48-49
register transition tactics, 154-155
releasing abs and then ribs, 54-55
slow and steady, 47—48, 55-56
suspending the breath, 52-53
testing breath control, 53-56
timing, 232
weight change affecting, 56
breathy tone, 73
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (song), 280
Brightman, Sarah, 22
“Bring Him Home” (song), 143
Buckley, Betty, 22
“Buddie’s Blues” (song), 143
Burnett, Carol, 23
oC o
Carey, Mariah, 151
Carpenter, Karen, 23, 59, 191
Carreras, José, 25
Caruso, Enrico, 24
Cash, Johnny, 188
casting director, audition, 274
casting panel, 261
CD with this book
back vowel sound and shape, 97
belting, 173-174, 176, 179-181, 183
breath control, 79
chest voice range, 134-136
combination consonants, 113-114
falsetto voice, 140, 142-143
head voice range, 137-139, 146-147
learning new songs, 226
lip consonants, 111
lip trill, 79
melody, 226
messa di voce, 156
middle voice range, 130-133
mix, 148-150
nine-tone scale, 159
pitch, sliding up and down on, 66
pop riffs, 162-163
practice and exercise, 126
registers, moving between, 157-158
resonance, 178
soft palate consonants, 109
speaking pitch, 170
staccato, 156
sustaining tone, 78
system requirements, 317-318
tip consonant, 107
tone with and without vibrato, 81
track listing, 318-321
troubleshooting, 322
vowel sound, 101
central note, 216-217
“Chain of Love” (song), 150
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32 6 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Chambers, Mark L. clarity in tone, 76-77
PCs All-in-One Desk Reference For Clarkson, Kelly, 22
Dummies, 318 classical music
Channing, Carol, 23 beginner baritone or bass songs, 309
chanting, 167-168 beginner mezzo songs, 308
character (acting the song) beginner soprano songs, 307
actions, 244 beginner tenor songs, 308-309
getting into, 241-243 intermediate baritone or bass songs, 309
motivation, 243-244 intermediate mezzo songs, 308
Chenoweth, Kristin, 22, 184, 189, 279 intermediate soprano songs, 308
chest position, 35 intermediate tenor songs, 309
chest voice mezzo subdivisions, 23
ascending to middle voice, 145 resonance, 84
basic description of, 129 tenor subdivision, 24
bass weakness, 25 vibrato, 81
versus belting, 135, 172-174 voice types in, 19
descending from middle voice to, 144-145 Classical Singer trade paper, 266
feeling your, 135-136 Classical Vocal Reprints Web site, 219
for men, 135-136 Cline, Patsy, 23
range, 134 closed vowels, 101, 138, 154
register transition tactics, 154 “The Closer I Get to You” (song), 281
strengthening, 13 clubs, audition, 261-262
tenor weakness, 24 coach, 284-285
transitioning in and out of, 144-145 Cohn, Marc, 243
for women, 135-136 cologne, 298
chest-dominated mix, 148 colorature vocal subdivision, 19
choir combination consonant
benefits from singing with, 196-197 lip placement, 112
choral music resonance, 84 singing, 113-114
directors, 202 tongue placement, 112
going solo versus singing with, 197-198 “Come Unto Him” (song), 55
training with, 195-198 common time, 223
choosing a song compilation book, 220
advanced songs, 213 concentration, 254
for audition, 263-266 conductor, audition, 274
battling fatigue, 214-215 confidence
beginner songs, 212 audition, 262
climbing higher strategies, 214 building, 255-258
following your accompaniment, 215 charting your progress, 257
intermediate songs, 212-213 game plan technique, 256-257
making leaps, 214 preparation and performance issues,
paying attention to detail, 215 257-258
range considerations, 213-214 projecting through posture, 37
rhythm consideration, 216 consonant
selecting song style, 217 articulation, 13, 103
song speed consideration, 215 combination, 112-114
choreographed moves, 247 cutting off a note, 113
choreographer, audition, 274 lip, 109-111
cigarette smoke, 289
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Index 32 7
soft palate, 108-109
tip, 105-107
unvoiced, 104
voiced, 104
contralto, 22
Cook, Barbara, 150
copyright music, 220
“Corner of the Sky” (song), 143
cost, voice teacher, 204
cough medicine, 294
countertenor, 24
country music
belting, 185
resonance, 84
singers, 188
songs, 314
training requirements, 187-188
twang, 85
vibrato, 81
cracking, 254-255
“Cry” (song), 280
“Cryin’” (song), 143
crying, 296
“Crying” (song), 218
Currington, Billy, 26
cycle of vibration, 60
o /) o
“Danny Boy” (song), 55
Day, Holly
Music Theory For Dummies, 222, 269
decongestant, 294
Denver, John, 24
descending from falsetto, 141-142
“Desperado” (song), 234
Dessay, Natalie, 21
diaphragm, 41
diction classes, 191
diet, 293
Dion, Celine, 22
directional symbol, 269
director, audition, 274
distractions
avoiding, 301
performance anxiety, 253-254
Doll, Susan
Elvis For Dummies, 234, 281
Domingo, Placido, 21, 25
Doolittle, Eliza, 243
dramatic vocal subdivision, 19
Dream Girls, 281
dust/pollen, 290
Dwight, D. S., 218
Dylan, Bob, 217
dynamics
learning new songs, 222
making a song your own, 229
song arrangement, 235
varying, 156-157
oF o
“Edelweiss” (song), 212-213
Eder, Linda, 150, 184, 280
education, voice teacher, 202
elbow tension, 35
Elvis For Dummies (Doll), 234, 281
emotional balance, 296
emotions
effects on voice, 284
as factor affecting tone, 58
encore, 304
entrance, performance, 300
exercise. See also practice
chanting and speaking voice, 167-168
exhalation, 40, 49-53
flexing your ribs, 54
inhalation, 40
larynx, 64
messa di voce, 156
muscle memory, 67
quick breath, 48-49
resonance and registration combined, 180
soft palate, 87
tongue and jaw tension release, 69-70
visualization, 126
exhalation. See also breathing
blowing in the wind exercise, 50
exercise, 40, 49-53
lip trill for, 50-51
posture while, 49
resistance and suspending the breath,
52-53
suspending muscles for, 52-53
exiting the stage, 303-304
eye contact, 245
328
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Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
ofo
fach, 260
fake book, 211, 219
falsetto
ascending into, 142-143
defined, 130, 139
descending from, 141-142
discovering your, 140
songs, 143
FAQs (frequently asked questions), 283-288
“The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be
Friends” (song), 244
fatigue
after practicing, 124-125
battling, 214-215
larynx, 63
when to seek help, 291-292
fear of performing. See performance
anxiety
feet position, 29-31
Ferrier, Kathleen, 21
Fitzgerald, Ella, 189
flageolet, 151
flashing photo, 301
flats, 11
The Flat-Screen iMac For
Dummies (Pogue), 318
Fleming, Renée, 22, 191, 280
floor-level microphone, 302-303
Florez, Juan Diego, 21
flute register, 151
focus, 245
folk singer, 81
food
nutrition, 293
vocal abuse, 290
what to eat, 287
Ford, Tennessee Ernie, 26
forgetting the words, 222
Forrester, Maureen, 21, 23
Foster, Sutton, 184
Francis, Connie, 234
Franklin, Aretha, 22, 234
frequently asked questions (FAQs), 283-288
front space, 62
front vowels
jaw position, 98
lip position, 98
singing the, 100
speaking the, 99-100
tongue position, 97-98
F-sharp, 11
eGo
Garrison, Larry
Breaking into Acting For Dummies, 276
gasp, 48, 232
general manager, audition, 274
gesturing, 246-247
“Get Down Tonight” (song), 234
“Get Me Bodied” (song), 281
G-flat, 11
Gheorghiu, Angela, 21
gig, 255
glottal cycle, 60
goals, practice, 123-124, 251
Gookin, Dan
PCs For Dummies, 318
Graham, Susan, 21
“Great Balls of Fire” (song), 218
Grey, Joel, 189
guitar accompanist, 270
Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition
(Phillips), 216
e H o
Hadley, Jerry, 21
“Halo”, 281
hand movement, gesturing, 246
hand placement, 302
hand tension, 35
Handel, 218
handheld microphone, 303
“Happy Birthday” (song), 49, 235
“Happy Birthday, Mr. President” (song), 77
Hart, Lorenz, 234
head
positioning, 33-34
shape and size, 58
tension release in, 35-36
head voice
ascending from middle voice to, 146
basic description of, 129
descending to middle voice, 147
lightening up the sound, 136
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Index 329
for men, 137
mezzo weakness, 23
range, 137-138
singing closed vowels to feel, 138
strengthening, 13
transitioning in and out of, 146-147
for women, 137
head voice-dominated mix, 148
headshot, 273
health issues. See also medication
alcohol, 289
emotional balance, 296
good speaking habits, 290-291
hydration, 292
nasal passage problems, 294
nodes, 291
nutrition, 293
sleep and rest, 292-293
sort throat/infections, 293-295
vocal abuse, 290, 288289
when to seek help, 291-292
high notes, 151
Hill, Faith, 280
hip position, 32-33
Horne, Marilyn, 21, 23
“Hound Dog” (song), 233
Houston, Whitney, 22
“How Do You Like Me Now?” (song), 281
Hudson, Jennifer, 22
humidifier, 295
humming
starting the tone, 74
as vocal warm-up, 121
husky voice tone, 284
Hvorostovsky, Dimitry, 21
hydration, 292
ojo
“I Can’t Make You Love Me” (song), 245
“I Could Have Danced All Night” (song),
261
“I Don’t Know How to Love Him” (song), 150
“I Just Called to Say I Love You” (song), 282
“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (song), 143
“I Wish” (song), 282
ibuprofen, 295
ice cream, 287
“If I Were The King of the Forest” (song), 244
The iMac For Dummies Quick Reference
(Watson), 318
improvising, 161-163
In The Heights, 84
inhalation. See also breathing
basics, 40
exercise, 40
flexing the ribs, 44—46
inhaling to release tone, 77
opening your back for, 43-44
opening your body for, 43-47
releasing the abs for, 46-47
slow and steady breathing, 47-48
stretching the sides, 46
taking air through nose, 42
innie breathing method, 41
intercostal muscle, 41
interlude, 236, 241
intermediate songs
classical baritone or bass songs, 309
classical mezzo, 308
classical soprano, 308
classical tenor, 309
description of, 212
musical theater mezzo songs, 310-311
musical theater soprano, 310
interview, voice teacher, 201-205
introduction (prelude), 236
Irish Tenors, 24
“Isn’t She Lovely” (song), 282
“It Matters to Me” (song), 280
“It Might As Well Be Spring” (song), 150
Italian songs, 286
e J e
Jackson, Michael, 143, 280-281
“Jailhouse Rock” (song), 281
jaw
back-vowel shape, 94-96
bouncing the, 69-70
dropping the, 61
front-vowel shape, 98-100
tension release, 68-70
jazz
resonance, 84
singers, 189
training requirements, 188-189
Jekyll & Hyde, 280
330
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Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Jesus Christ Superstar album, 150
Jo, Sumi, 21
John, Elton, 24, 183, 191
Johnson, Jamey, 26
Jones, James Earl, 85
journal, practice, 122
eK o
K.C. & The Sunshine Band, 234
Keith, Toby, 281
Kern, Jerome, 218
Kesha, 191
key, song, 216-217
keyboard, 118
King, James, 21
The King and I, 84
knee tension, 32
Knowles, Beyoncé, 22, 184, 192, 281
Krall, Diana, 189
efe
Lady Gaga, 57
Lansbury, Angela, 23
larynx
dropping your, 63-64
finding your, 62-63
singing muscles, 60
laughter, 75
lead sheet, 266
learning a song
accompanist, 237
arrangement, musical elements to create,
233-237
breath control, 230-232
forgetting the words, 222
lyrics, memorizing, 222-223
making a song your own, 229
melody, singing without the words, 226
notes, how long to hold, 226
phrases, backing into, 229-230
punctuation, paying attention to, 231-232
reading music, 223
rhythm, tapping out, 23, 224-226
scanning, checking musical details,
221-222
speed considerations, 222
tempo, 235
tone, changing for each section, 232-233
vocal technique, 229-233, 258
volume variations, 222
vowel technique, 228-229
words and music, putting together,
227-228
ledger lines, 10
leg position, 31-32
legato, 51, 78
legit, 189, 279
Lennon, John, 233
Leonard, Hal (publisher), 219
Leonhard, Woody
Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For
Dummies, 318
lesson. See voice lesson
LeVitus, Bob
Max OS X For Dummies, 318
LeVox, Gary, 24
Lewis, Bobby, 183
licks, 161
The Light in the Piazza, 84
light vocal subdivision, 19
lighting, 301
lip consonant
defined, 109
lip placement, 110-111
singing, 111
tongue placement, 110-111
lip trill
exhalation exercise, 50-51
sustaining tone, 78-79
as vocal warm-up, 121
lips
back vowel shape, 94
front vowel sounds, 98
shaping combination consonants, 112
shaping lip consonants, 110-111
shaping soft palate consonants, 108
shaping tip consonants, 105-107
“Lipstick on Your Collar” (song), 234
lisp, 106
listening technique, 196
“Lollipop” (song), 234
“The Lonely Goatherd” (song), 218
long phrases, breath control, 79
“Love Me Tender” (song), 281
Love Story, 241
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Luft, Lorna, 23
Luker, Rebecca, 150
Lynn, Loretta, 85
lyric vocal subdivision, 19
lyrics
connecting with, 264-265
memorizing, 222-223
e M o
Mac OS X For Dummies (LeVitus), 318
Macs For Dummies (Pogue), 318
The Magic Flute, 282
“Maria” (song), 143
marking the music, 269
Martin, Mary, 150, 189
Mary Poppins, 150
matching pitch, 64-68
Maxwell, 192
McCartney, Paul, 233
McDonald, Audra, 22
McEntire, Reba, 188
McFerrin, Bobby, 189
measure (bar), 268
Media Player, 318
medication. See also health issues
acetaminophen, 295
Advil, 295
antihistamine, 294
cough medicine, 294
decongestant, 294
ibuprofen, 295
Mucinex, 295
nasal spray, 294-295
sore throat, 294-295
Tylenol, 295
vocal abuse, 290
Meier, Waltraud, 21
Melchior, Lauritz, 21
Mellencamp, John Cougar, 183
melody
learning new songs, 221, 226
singing without the words, 226
Melson, Joe, 218
memorizing lyrcis, 222-223
memory, 318
“Memory” (song), 150
Memphis album, 84
men
ascending from chest voice to middle
voice, 145
ascending from middle voice to head
voice, 146
bass voice type characteristics, 25-26
belting, 173-174, 183
chanting and speaking voice, 168
chest voice range, 134-136
country songs for, 314
descending from head voice to middle
voice, 147
descending from middle voice to chest
voice, 144-145
head voice range, 137
middle voice range, 131-133
mix for, 148
musical theater belt songs, 311
pop-rock songs for, 315
tenor voice type characteristics, 24-25
menopause, 195
menstrual cycle, 195
mental preparation, audition, 276
Mentzer, Susanne, 21
Menzel, Idina, 189
Merman, Ethel, 57, 184, 189
messa di voce, 156
meter, 233
metronome, 118
mezzo
beginner classical songs, 308
common performance roles, 23
determining your voice type, 10
intermediate classical songs, 308
singers, 23
versus soprano, 22
voice type characteristics, 23
microphone
audition, 273
body, 302
floor level, 302-303
handheld, 303
stationary, 303
using during performance, 302-303
Microsoft Windows, 318
Middle C, 10-11
Index 33 ]
33 2 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
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middle voice
ascending from chest voice to, 145
ascending to head voice, 146
basic description of, 129
descending from head voice to, 147
descending to chest voice from, 144-145
for men, 131-133
range, 130-131
singing in, 131-133
soprano weakness, 21
strengthening, 13
for women, 131-133
The Mikado, 282
mirror, 118
mix
chest-dominated, 148
chest-dominated and head-dominated, 151
defined, 148
for female voice, 149-150
head voice-dominated, 148
for male voice, 148
sliding into, 148-149
speaking in a, 175-176
mix belt, 174
Moll, Kurt, 21
Monroe, Marilyn, 77
Morgan, Lorrie, 23
Morris, James, 26
motivation, 251
movement, acting the song, 248
Mucinex, 295
Murphy, Eddie, 59
muscle
abdominal, 41, 46-47
diaphragm, 41
intercostal, 41
that helps create tone, 59-64
vocal warm-up, 121-122
muscle memory, 66-67
“Music of the Night” (song), 143
The Music Man, 241
Music Theory For Dummies (Pilhofer and
Day), 222, 269
musical director, audition, 274
musical notation, 271
musical theater
audition, 261, 264
baritenor songs, 312-313
belt songs for men, 313
belt songs for women, 311
belting, 185
mezzo songs, 310-311
resonance, 84
soprano songs, 309-310
tenor songs, 312
vibrato, 81
“My Cherie Amour” (song), 282
My Fair Lady, 240, 243, 261
“My Favorite Things” (song), 212-213
eNe
nasal passage problems, 294
nasal resonance, 89, 176
nasal sound, 87-88
nasal spray, 294-295
NATS (National Association of Teachers of
Singing, Inc.) Web site, 200
neck tension, 68-69
Neely, Blake
Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edition, 118, 216,
223
negativity, 252
neti pot, 294
Newton-John, Olivia, 22
Nilsson, Birgit, 21
nine-tone scale, 159
nodes, 291
noise absorption, 117
nose spray, 294
notebook, audition, 266-267, 272
notes. See also pitch; tone
central, 216-217
cutting off, 113
defined, 59
learning how long to hold, 226
locating on staff, 10-11
nutrition, 293
ede
octave, 11, 130, 214
“Oh Holy Night” (song), 218
Oklahomal!, 244
“Ol Man River” (song), 218
“The Old Hills of Home” (song), 143
“Old MacDonald” (song), 235
online voice teacher, 200
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urdukutabkhanapk.blogspot.com
onset of tone, 74
open vowels, 101
opera
aria, 244, 247, 260
audition, 260, 264
fach, 260
singers, 21, 191
training requirements, 191
voice types in, 19
operative words, 222, 229
optimum pitch, 168-169
Orbison, Roy, 218
organ
pipes, 299
singing with, 299-300
outie breathing method, 41, 54
“Over the Rainbow” (song), 55, 212
overbreathing, 47
overpracticing, 251
e po
Palmer, Robert, 234
pantomiming gesture, 246-247
Pape, Rene, 191
Parton, Dolly, 22
Pavarotti, Luciano, 21, 25, 57
payment, voice teacher, 204
PCs All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies
(Chambers), 318
PCs For Dummies (Gookin), 318
Pears, Peter, 21
perfect pitch, 65
performance. See also performance anxiety
anxiety, 197
audience, acknowledging, 300-301
bowing and exiting, 303-304
confidence, 255-258
distractions, 301
encore, 304
entrance, 300
hand placement, 246, 302
lights, 301
microphone, 302-303
with piano, organ, or band, 299-300
practicing well for, 251
projecting confidence through, 37
rehearsing for, 297-298
stance, 299
wardrobe, 298
performance anxiety. See also performance
adrenaline, 250
alleviating, 250-255
assessment, 258
building performance focus, 253-254
concentration, 254
cracking, 254-255
distractions, 253-254
facing the symptoms, 249-250
getting up the nerve, 253
managing your thoughts, 252-253
negative thoughts, 252-253
overcoming, 15
preparing for performance, 251
public singing, 197
voice lesson, 208
perfume, 298
Perry, Katy, 191
Phantom, 84
The Phantom of the Opera, 282
Phillips, Mark
Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, 216
photograph, audition, 273
phrases, working backward, 229-230
piano
accompanist, 270
for practicing, 118
singing with, 299-300
Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Neely),
118, 216, 223
Pilhofer, Michael
Music Theory For Dummies, 222, 269
pitch. See also notes; tone
defined, 59
matching, 64-68
muscle memory development, 66-67
optimum, 168-169
perfect, 65
recording yourself and singing along,
67-68
relative, 65
sliding up and down on, 65-66
smile-to-stay-on-pitch myth, 92
pitch deaf, 59
pitch pipe, 118
placing/placement, 90-91
planned practice, 115-116
Plishka, Paul, 21
Index 333
336
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Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
poetry, 233
Pogue, David
The Flat-Screen iMac For Dummies, 318
Macs For Dummies, 318
pollen/dust, 290
pop riffs, 13, 162-163
pop singer, 81
pop sound
improvising for, 161-163
licks, 161
patterns in, 162
riffs, 161
pop-rock
belting, 185
resonance, 84
songs, 315
training requirements, 190-191
postlude, 236
posture. See also tension release
alignment, 12, 27-28
balancing of head and shoulders, 33-34
creating correct, 29-33
engaging your legs, 31-32
evaluation, 27-29
feet position, 29-31
hip position, 32-33
importance of good, 12
knee tension, 32
projecting confidence through, 37
root of good, 29
spine tension, 33
walking, 36-37
while breathing, 42
while exhaling, 49
practice. See also exercise
CD with the book, 126
concentrating during, 117
as confidence builder, 256
correct, 124-126
dropping the jaw, 61
fatigue after, 124-125
journal, 122
length, 117
location, 116
overpracticing, 251
planning your, 115-116
recording, 125
setting goals for, 123-124, 251
song selection for, 122
time and duration, 117
tools and equipment, 118
videotaping, 125
warm-up period, 115, 119-122
prelude (introduction), 236
Presley, Elvis, 233-234, 244, 281
Prey, Herman, 21
Price, Leontyne, 85
processor, 318
producer, audition, 274
puberty, voice change, 194-195
punctuation, 231-232
ede
quick breath, 48-49
Quilico, Gino, 21
eRe
Raitt, John, 26, 189, 191
RAM, 318
Ramey, Samuel, 21, 26
range
agility, 158-161
basic description of, 153
bass, 25
belt, 179
chest voice, 134
determining voice type through, 18
dynamics, varying, 156-157
head voice, 137-138
messa di voce exercise, 156
mezzo, 23
middle voice, 130-131
singing staccato, 155-156
soprano, 21
tenor, 24
working on, 155-158
young singer, 193
Rathbone, Andy, 318
R&B music
belting, 185
resonance, 84
singers, 192
training techniques, 192
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Index 335
reading music, 223
Real Player, 318
recording
audition, 271-272
for matching pitch, 67-68
practice session, 125
at rehearsal, 298
recording device, 118
register transitions
bass, 25
defined, 18
knowing where to make, 154-155
mezzo, 23
moving between registers, 157-158
resonance combined with, 178-180
soprano, 21
tenor, 24
rehearsing
with accompanist, 270-271
before performance, 297-298
recording the rehearsal, 298
Reid, Mike, 245
“Rejoice” (song), 218
relative pitch, 65
repeated words, emphasizing, 240
resistance, feeling of suspension, 52
resonance
choral music, 84
classical music, 84
country music, 84
from crying to crooning, 85
defined, 12, 83
feeling, 178
jazz, 84
misconceptions about, 90-92
nasal, 89, 176
opening the space, 85-86
pop-rock, 84
R&B music, 84
registration combined with, 178-180
ringing it out, 86
soft palate and tongue coordination, 88-89
sympathetic, 90
theater music, 84
vibrations of, 177
resonant speaking voice, 167-168
“Respect” (song), 234
rest, 292-293
resume, 272
rhythm
learning new songs, 23, 221, 224-226
picking up, 216
tapping out, 23, 224-226
ribs
flexing for inhalation, 44—46
flexing open, 54
inhaling and opening, 54-55
riffs, 161
Rihanna, 192
“River” (song), 150
rock music. See also pop-rock
belting, 185
vibrato, 81
Rodgers, Richard, 218, 234
Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, 84
eSe
salt water, 293
scanning, checking musical details, 221-222
scratchy voice, 285
Shamblin, Allen, 245
sharp, 11
sheet music
compilation book, 220
copyright music, 220
downloading, 219
finding, 218-220
online catalogs, 219
Web sites, 219
“Sherry Baby” (song), 143
Shirley, George, 21
shoulder balance, 33-35
shoulder position, 35
“Should’ve Been a Cowboy” (song), 281
sides, stretching for inhalation, 46
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours”
(song), 282
Sills, Beverly, 21
“Simple Things” (song), 223-226, 235
“Simply Irresistible” (song), 234
Sinatra, Frank, 85
singing method, 286
site. See Web site
Skinner, Edith (American dialect), 96
slate, 262
336
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Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
sleep and rest, 284, 292-293
slow and steady breathing, 47—48, 55-56
smoking, 289
social skills, 196
soft palate
consonants, 108-109
coordinating with tongue, 88-89
seeing it move, 87
solo, 197-198
songs. See also acting the song; choosing a
song; learning a song
advanced, 213
baritenor, 312-313
baritone, 309
bass, 309
beginner, 212
belt, 311, 313
belting, 184-185
choosing, 14, 211-212
classical, 307-309
comparing, 234-235
country, 314
falsetto, 143
intermediate, 212
Italian, 286
key, 216-217
making it your own, 229
mezzo, 308, 310-311
moving and grooving with, 248
musical theater, 309-313
overdone, 266
pop-rock, 314
soprano, 307-310
speed, 215
strophic section, 233
style, 217, 236-237
tenor, 308-309, 312
through composed, 233
transposed, 268
two-part AB section, 233
soprano
beginner classical songs, 307
belter, 22
determining your voice type, 10
intermediate classical songs, 308
versus mezzo, 22
singers, 22
voice type characteristics, 21-22
sore throat
medication, 294-295
prevention, 293-294
protecting a, 295
sound card, 318
“The Sound of Music” (song), 150, 212
South Pacific, 84
speaking voice
audition, 273
chanting to explore, 167-168
determining age through, 18
exploring, 166-167
forward resonance and high energy,
169-170
health issues, 290-291
overview, 14
resonant, 167-168
talking to yourself, 167
speed, learning new songs, 222
spine tension, 33
Spring Awakening, 84
staccato, 155-156
stage fright. See performance anxiety
stage manager, audition, 274
“Stairway to Heaven” (song), 233
stance, performance, 299
stationary microphone, 303
stepwise motion, 214
Stewart, Rod, 183, 191
storytelling, 239-241. See also acting the song
straight tone, 80
Strait, George, 26
Streisand, Barbra, 184
strident voice tone, 284
strophic song section, 233
subdivision
bass, 25-26
mezzo, 22
soprano, 22
tenor, 24
suspending the breath, 52-53
Sutherland, Dame Joan, 21
“Sweet Dreams” (song), 281
sympathetic resonance, 90
sympathetic vibration, 90
system requirements, 317-318
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efe
“Take Me As I Am” (song), 280
“Take Me or Leave Me” (song), 261
talent, singing to your strengths, 217-218
teacher. See voice teacher
technical support, 322
teenager, 193-194
television audition, 262
tempo
learning new songs, 235
making a song your own, 229
tenor
beginner classical songs, 308-309
common performance roles, 24
determining your voice type, 10
intermediate classical songs, 309
musical theater songs, 312
singers, 25
voice type characteristics, 24-25
tension release. See also posture
in arms, 35
for better tone, 68-70
in chest, 35
in elbows, 35
in eyes, 36
in hands, 35
in head, 35-36
in jaw, 68-70
in neck, 68-69
in shoulders, 35
for tongue, 69-70
upper body, 34-35
Terfel, Bryn, 191
tessitura
defined, 18, 22
mezzo and soprano difference, 22
“That Ain’t It Man” (song), 179
“This Kiss” (song), 280
“Three Blind Mice,” 167-168
Three Tenors, 25-26
Thriller (album), 281
throat
clearing, 290
releasing tone through, 77
shape and size, 58
through composed song section, 233
tight tone, 73
Timberlake, Justin, 24
time signature, 223
tip consonant
lip placement, 105-107
shaping, 105-106
singing, 107
tongue placement, 105-107
TIS Web site, 219
“To Make You Feel My Love” (song), 217
“Tomorrow” (song), 261
tone. See also notes; pitch
back space, 74-75
bass, 25
body energy to find clarity of, 170-171
breath control, 79
breathy, 73
changing for each section, 232-233
clarity in, 76-77
coordinating breath with, 75-76
defined, 57, 59
determining voice type through, 18
factors affecting, 58
flexing muscles that create, 59-64
humming for, 74
importance of, 12
inhaling to release, 77
larynx position, 62-64
long phrases, 79
mezzo, 23
onset of, 74
physical force of air, 74
releasing, 77
soprano, 21
straight, 80
sustaining, 78-79
tenor, 24
tension release for, 68-70
tight, 73
words describing, 18
tone deaf, 59
tongue
back-vowel shape, 95
bouncing the, 69-70
coordinating soft palate with, 88-89
front-vowel shape, 97-98
shaping combination consonants, 112
Index 33 7
338
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Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
tongue (continued)
shaping lip consonants, 110-111
shaping soft palate consonants, 108
shaping tip consonant, 105-107
tension release, 69-70
track listing, 318-321
training. See also voice lesson; voice
teacher
with choir, 195-198
teenagers, 193-194
young singers, 192-193
training requirements
country singers, 187-188
jazz singers, 188-189
opera singers, 191
pop-rock singers, 190-191
R&B singers, 192
theater singers, 189
translation, 247
transposed song, 268
travel, 197
treble clef, 10
tremolo, 80
troubleshooting, 322
Turner, Kathleen, 85
Turner, Tina, 191
twang, 85
Tylenol, 295
typing, 261
o |f o
Uggams, Leslie, 23
Underwood, Carrie, 22
unvoiced consonant, 104
Urkel, Steve, 85
Usher, 192
ele
Van Dam, José, 26
Vandross, Luther, 281
variety, vocal, 236
Verdon, Gwen, 189
versatility, 263-264
vibration. See also resonance
cycle of vibration, 60
glottal cycle, 60
of resonance, 177
sympathetic, 90
vibrato
defined, 57, 195
imitating another singer’s, 81-82
moving from straight tone to, 80-81
normal rate, 80
slow/fast, 80
styles of, 81
tremolo, 80
wobble, 80
Vickers, Jon, 21
videotaping, 125
visualization exercise, 126
“Viva Las Vegas” (song), 281
vocal abuse, 289-290
vocal cord vibration, 60
vocal range. See range
vocal tone. See tone
vocal warm-up, 121-122
voice
breathy tone, 284
chest, 129, 134-136, 144-145
emotions affecting, 284
feeling off, 283-284
head, 129, 136-139, 146-147
husky tones, 284
middle, 129-133
muffled or hooty tone, 284
in opera, 19
points to work on, 12-13
scratchy, 285
size, 285-286
strident tone, 284
voice change, 192, 194-195
voice lesson. See also voice teacher
anxiety, 208
feeling good when leaving a, 205-206
imagery tools, 206
practicing after, 207
self-expectations, 207-208
time to grasp concepts from, 205
voice strength
bass, 25
determining voice type through, 18
mezzo, 23
soprano, 21
tenor, 24
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Index 339
voice teacher
accompaniment, 203
versus accompanist, 284-285
canceling with, 204-205
choosing a, 199-205
versus coach, 284—285
cost, 204
education, 202
encouragement from, 208
experience level, 202
feedback from, 205
identifying what you want from, 200-201
interviewing, 201-205
knowing what to expect from, 205-207
location, 203
music styles, 203
online, 200
payment policy, 204
recommendations, 199
system of teaching, 206
who focuses on flaws, 208
voice type. See also bass; mezzo; soprano;
tenor
categories, 19
in classical music, 19
determining, 10, 15, 17-20
voiced consonant, 104
Voight, Deborah, 21
“Vole Mon Age” (song), 280
volume. See dynamics
von Otter, Anne-Sophie, 21
von Stade, Frederica, 21
vowels
accents, 102
American dialect, 96
articulation, 13
back, 94-97
belting, 182-183
closed, 101, 138, 154
front, 97-101
lip and tongue positioning, 93
one, singling out, 228
open, 101
pronunciation, 93-94
singing, 102
streaming through, 228-229
eWe
“Walk on By” (song), 150
walking, 299
“Walking in Memphis” (song), 243
walking posture, 36-37
Wang, Wallace
Breaking into Acting For Dummies, 276
wardrobe
audition, 262, 273
performance, 298
Warlow, Anthony, 282
warming up
as confidence builder, 256
importance of, 13
length and duration, 119
overview, 115
stretching routine, 119-121
tension release, 119
voice, 121-122
Warwick, Dionne, 150
Watson, Jennifer
The iMac For Dummies Quick Reference,
318
“The Way You Love Me” (song), 280
Wayne, John, 85
Web site
Classical Vocal Reprints, 219
NATS, 200
sheet music, 219
TIS, 219
weight change, 56
“When I Look at You” (song), 150
“When Love Fades” (song), 281
where to focus, 245
whistle register, 151
whistling, 75
White, Barry, 26
White, Wendy, 21
“Who’s Your Daddy?” (song), 281
“Why Shouldn’t I” (song), 150
Wicked, 279
Wilson, Ann, 191
Windows Media Player, 318
Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For
Dummies (Leonhard), 318
“With You” (song), 143
wobble, 80
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34 0 Singing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
women “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely” (song), 240
ascending from chest voice to middle Wunderlich, Fritz, 21
voice, 145
ascending from middle voice to head e x e
voice, 146
belting, 173, 184 The X Factor, 234
chanting and speaking voice, 168
chest voice range, 134-136 e y e
country songs for, 314
descending from head voice to middle “Ya Got Trouble” (song), 241
Nase ies Yearwood, Trisha, 188
descending from middle voice to chest “Yesterday” (song), 233
voice, 145 Yeston, Maury, 84
head voice range, 137 RER “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like
mezzo voice type characteristics, 22-23 This” (song), 281
middle voice range, 131-133
mix for, 149-150 young singers
; range, 193
musical theater belt songs for, 311 training, 192-193
pop-rock songs for, 315 voice change, 192, 194-195
soprano voice type characteristics, 21-22 You’re a Good Man. Charlie Brown, 279
Wonder, Stevie, 18, 24, 282 : ,
Wopat, Tom, 26
word-for-word translation, 247 e Z e
words and music, putting together,
227-228 Zajick, Dolora, 21
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Take your voice to
the next level and
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Whether you're a beginning vocalist or a seasoned singer,
this practical guide gives you step-by-step instructions and
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of singing, discovering your range, developing technique,
singing in performance, and maintaining vocal health.
° Be rock solid — get up-to-speed with the basics of singing
and master posture, breathing, and tone
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Audio CD Includes
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